Eye of the Storm
by thomaswriter
Summary: The prequel to Project Nadia! Alias cameos include Nadia, Jack, Elena Derevko, and more! Optional prequel to Tom Falk series.
1. Skippers Guide to Eye of the Storm

**THE SKIPPERS GUIDE TO EYE OF THE STORM**

I've devised this handy-dandy little guide that provides a little bit of an idea of what each chapter contains, and which ones you really should be reading. Seems a lot of you like to (understandably) skip around a bit.

**Country Boy: **This contains some background into Tom Falk's childhood, how he was recruited into the CIA Anti-Cartel, then how he was recruited to CIA Dark Cover. We also get a taste of how Tom did business in the Anti-Cartel. Not really an essential chapter, per say, but it does set the tone for the rest of the series. Optional.

**Dark Cover:** We're introduced to Dark Cover and to David Marson, Tom's loyal op-tech guy. This episode starts the close relationship Tom and David have as friends. Again, not really an essential chapter. In fact, because of the description of the surroundings I had to do, it might even be a little dull due to the lack of action. Optional.

**A Fateful Encounter Parts 1 and 2: CRITICAL CRITICAL CRITICAL! **If there are two chapters that you cannot miss in this series, these are it. A Fateful Encounter really explains the motivation for the things Tom does in Project Nadia. In addition to a major Alias character debuting here (which you can probably guess who), a major character from Season 4 also debuts and plants the seeds for things that come later.

**Bleed out: **Tom's brother dies during 9/11 and Elena successfully turns Mitch into a rat for the Covenant. That's really all you need to know about this episode. Not essential.

**Blind: **More development between Tom and David. A relatively minor mission in Cuba dealing with Project Helix. We also learn a bit about just what Mitch is feeding to the Covenant. Again, not essential. Project Alloy, the procedure we learned in Project Nadia that Tom is forced to undergo from the Covenant, is first revealed.

**Judging Judas: ESSENTIAL! **There's a strong belief in Dark Cover that Mitch is a rat. Tom needs proof, so he sends Mitch on a mission and orders him tracked. Strong ending to this one. Also, Tom makes a Freudian slip during a conversation with Mike that his wife was secretly eavesdropping on, leading her to make a drastic move behind Tom's back.

**Exit Strategy: ESSENTIAL!** The Covenant makes their first attempt at capturing Tom Falk. Also, Kate's private investigator fails in one area in his investigation of Falk, but a shocking reveal is made to Kate in the end.

**Torino: CRITICAL! **Mitch is informed that the Covenant is going to try again at Falk, but this time, Mitch's cooperation has now come at a high price. Tom catches Kate's private investigator tailing him. Kate reveals something colossal to Tom before he leaves for Torino. And then...the mission that haunts Tom for the rest of his life takes place.

**Made Of Mettle: CRITICAL! **(On a personal note: This was one of the more challenging, yet more enjoyable episodes to write) Tom undergoes Project Alloy. We learn what happens in his time in Covenant captivity. After breaking free from the facility, we learn that Tom loses more than just his Storm Crew friends after the Torino mission.

**Exile: **Some interesting things happen here, but this is more of a bridge until the finale and I'm not going to call this one required reading. Tom reunites with Mike and David, the two surviving Storm Crew members. After his debrief, the CIA puts him in indefinite leave so he can rehab instead of honoring Tom's wish of dropping out altogether. Vandenburg comes by to inform Tom of some of the findings of the Project Alloy surgery. Then, Tom gets captured by the Covenant again after knocking himself out on a football goalpost. This time, Tom escapes with his medical file from the Project Alloy surgery and returns to the CIA as an analyst. But, just as Tom is about ready to go on a field mission again to prove that he can still do it, Director Chase shuts down Dark Cover. Instead of joining Mike and David in freelance duty like he wants, Chase tells Tom he's not medically cleared and his only option is to be an analyst at Langley. Tom grudgingly accepts. There. There's that episode in a nutshell.

**Now Hiring: CRITICAL! CRITICAL! CRITICAL! **This, along with A Fateful Encounter, is the other extremely critical chapter in the story. Jack Bristow pays a visit to Langley, hoping to find a replacement for Eric Weiss, who has taken the gig that he took in Season 5. Chase doesn't seem to think there's anyone available...until Falk comes in with a report that she was expecting. We learn a bit more about Falk's past and why he did things the way he did in the field. He also learns that there is more to that female agent he worked with in A Fateful Encounter than meets the eye, and decides that he's found his purpose in life again after he lost it in the Torino mission.

Hopefully, your attention span has made it to this point. If it has, hopefully you get more enjoyment out of this story now that you know what you should really be reading. In sum:

**MOST IMPORTANT CHAPTERS:**

A Fateful Encounter Parts 1 and 2 (especially these)

Torino

Made of Mettle

Now Hiring (especially this one)

**RECOMMENDED CHAPTERS:**

Judging Judas

Exit Strategy


	2. Table of Contents

**DISCLAIMER: A lot of what goes on in this story will make better sense if you read Project Nadia first. It's only recommended, but not required.**

In Project Nadia, we got to meet Tom Falk...a man who respects his friends and family more than himself even. We read how he died for the woman he loved and how he carried the memory of his closest friends after a failed mission that ended in tragedy and changed Falk's life forever. This the story of those friends and the man who led them to the bitter end.

_Story note: These chapters are written in the framework of how an episode would go, sort of like how much of Project Nadia was written. I know it's not everyone's cup of tea, but it's just the way I envision this story playing out. I'll also mention music I would play during a scene, but there won't be any drawn-out montages like I did for Nadia's burial in Project Nadia._

**ALIAS: EYE OF THE STORM**

Theme song: An edited version of "Country Boy" by Aaron Lewis: youtube dot com /watch?v=22Vz-ngNomA

Character guide

**Chapter 1**: Country Boy (Posted 5/16/11)

**Chapter 2**: Dark Cover (Posted 5/17/11)

**Chapter 3**: A Fateful Encounter Part 1 (Posted 5/18/11)

**Chapter 4**: A Fateful Encounter Part 2 (Posted 5/19/11)

**Chapter 5**: Bleed Out (Posted 5/20/11)

**Chapter 6**: Blind (Posted 5/23/11)

**Chapter 7: **Judging Judas (Posted 5/24/11)

**Chapter 8: **Exit Strategy (Posted 5/25/11)

**Chapter 9: **Torino (Posted 5/26/11)

**Chapter 10: **Made of Mettle (Posted 5/27/11)

**Chapter 11: **Exile (Posted 5/30/11)

**Chapter 12: **Now Hiring (Posted 5/31/11)


	3. Character Guide

**CHARACTER GUIDE**

One new face was easy to accomplish in Project Nadia. But at least a dozen REGULAR new characters? Different story, and I don't have any visual guides for reference, so here's the dirt on all of the new characters that will appear in this prequel.

**Tom Falk- **Modeled a lot after The Shield's Vic Mackey, only younger. 29 years old when story starts. Shares Mackey's devotion to family, his crew, and general attitude. Unlike Mackey, Tom is not a dirty cop and he's not as insensitive as Mackey is, but Tom is a "means to an end" kind of leader. He has no trouble pushing the ethical and moral boundaries if it means getting the job done. Uplifting leader that is a big believer in team unity. Stocky, yet fit, with average height, dark blonde hair with a widows peak and a goatee.

**Kate Falk-** Tom's wife. Met in Tom's junior year of high school. Finally married in 1997, despite Tom's reluctance because of his job. Generally stands by her man, but has been getting agitated lately with Tom's career...at least the career she THINKS he has.

**Edward and Violet Landry-** Tom's grandparents from his mother's side. Raised Tom from when he was 9 months old, his brother Eddie from when he was 2 years old, and older sister Karen since she was 7. Edward passed away in 1996, Violet in 1998. Violet did get to see Tom's marriage to Kate.

**Tom Falk Senior and Mary Falk- **Tom's parents. Mary died in a car accident when Tom was 6 months old. Tom Sr., despite making it through Vietnam with little ill effects, started drinking heavily after Mary's death and was never the same person. Sold family home to Edward and Violet Mullins before it got repossessed. Tom Sr's whereabouts are unknown at the beginning of the story.

**Eddie Falk- **The older brother of Tom Falk. More laid back and easy going than Tom. Accomplishes a childhood dream by becoming a Navy SEAL after he graduates college. Tom admires his brother very much.

**Karen Falk-** The oldest of the Falk siblings. Was much older than Tom when he was born. Still lives in Bunker, Missouri as a divorced mother. Tom and Karen weren't all that close, but they still are about each other nonetheless.

**Harold Vandenburg III- **The son of a senator that's in the Senate's Intelligence Committee. Was given the keys to a new black ops unit with a deep checkbook. Likes Tom's track record of getting results. A bit of a snob. Modeled sort of like a wussy version of Julian Sark. Supplies the facility and the cash to operate it, but little more.

**James Lennox- **You might remember him from Season 2, Episode 14 when he became a double while researching the Helix project. Well, we learn just what he was doing before going deep cover pursuing the Helix project...he's Vandenburg's right hand man in Dark Cover. Tom goes through Lennox for his missions. Lennox and Vandenburg were college friends. Yes, he will be played again by Ethan Hawke (Hey, I need at least SOME star power for this series...)

**Mitch Hayes- **Tom's mentor in Anti-Cartel. Fired in 1998 after clash with the Anti-Cartel director at the time and transferred to desk duty at Langley. Tom feels strong sense of loyalty to Mitch for showing him the ropes. However, Mitch feels haunted by indiscretions that we can only guess what they are. A possible actor for his role would be Angus McFadyen, aka Robert the Bruce from Braveheart. Shorter than Tom with an average build, dark brown hair and has a bushy goatee.

**Mike Walcott-** You might think Tom Falk is a Shield rip-off, but Walcott is the only true Shield ripoff. Modeled exactly like Ronnie Gardocki in The Shield right down to the look (I'd even have the character that played Gardocki play Walcott). He's slightly taller than Tom and an average build with light brown hair and a thin light brown beard. For those not familiar with The Shield, Gardocki was a sort of chill, laid back guy. A jack of all trades. A little nerdy, but his laid back nature makes him an asset in deep cover and tracking missions. Tom sees Mike as a huge asset to the team and respects Mike very much. In fact, he's done personal favors in the past for Mike that the CIA probably wouldn't want to know about. Don't ask either one of them what they are, they'll never tell.

**Chris Cooper- **Terry Crews would be ideal for this character. Big, strong guy and can come across as intimidating at first. Really though, he's a gregarious guy who likes to have fun on the job...when he's not being the team's muscle. Tom took a liking to Chris quickly after he joined Anti-Cartel in 1997. Only thing bigger than his mouth is his appetite.

**David Marston- **Single father who got into serious cybercrime as a means to provide him and his 1 year old son a comfortable life after his first wife divorced him. Was kicked out of MIT for trying to fix grades. Tom admires his devotion to his son and helps David avoid serious prison time in exchange for him coming to Storm Crew to be their op-tech. David feels indebted to Tom. Small, thin guy who's a little on the quiet side.

**Eddie Alvarez- **Young Mexican who was recruited to the CIA after aiding Anti-Cartel in drug raids in Guadelajara in 2000. Tom remembers Eddie for that service and gets him into Storm Crew after it arrives in Dark Cover. Never met a sniper rifle or stick of C-4 he didn't like. Average height with a shaved head, some women might call him "handsome."

**Jacob Jackson**- Good ol' boy from the south. Tom recruits him to Storm Crew because Jacobs is also a "means to an end" type of agent. Oh, and he can also drive anything with wheels and fly anything with wings. Tall, lanky guy with a chinstrap beard and a swagger.

**Charlie O'Doyle**- A Bahston guy to the core. Likes his beer and Red Sox. Good with explosives. In fact, he was discovered by the CIA after some of his work with the Irish mob...as a 14 year old. Turns out, all he was was a teenager that wanted to get noticed by someone. Master at improvisation. A fit redheaded Irish laddie with a strong build.

**Jerome Thompson- **All-business inner city kid who is adept at munitions and tactical work. Similar size and build to Chris Cooper, but unlike Cooper, Thompson keeps mostly to himself.

**Luke Winter- **19 year old rookie from Minnesota. Tom picked Winter from the Minneapolis PD after Winter was a key part of a drug bust. Tom sees a lot of him in Luke. Very young looking guy with a clean-cut look.

**Elena Derevko- **As we all know, she's the true leader of the Covenant. But, to Tom, she was just a scout in Argentina. Elena has a strong interest in seeing Tom and Nadia getting together. She sees Mitch as a possible mole that can help her.


	4. Chapter 1: Country Boy

**COUNTRY BOY**

**Day period of episode: late March 2001 (Before Season 1 of Alias)**

_**Parts unknown**_

The light comes on in an interrogation room. A man of either Latin or South American descent sits handcuffed to the table. He looks like he's been there for at least a few hours. "How many times do I have to tell you, I don't know anything!" We see the back of a shorter, stocky man with a very short haircut, blonde hair, and broad shoulders. "Oh, you've told us you don't know anything quite enough now. But, you must know that it's not wise to hold out on me. Ask your friends, I've acquired a bit of a reputation for being a little rough on gang members. Would you like to see that reputation put on display?" The man shifts in his chair anxiously. "You have rules! You can't do anything to me! This is a CIA interrogation room!" The interrogator gives a deep laugh. "Who told you we were in a CIA building? We snatched you, threw you into a van, blindfolded you, and took you to this place. This could be anywhere." The man tries to look around, but there's not much light except for the low hanging light in front of him. The man starts to look really uneasy as the interrogator walks around the table and gets in his face. We see it's the face of Tom Falk. "Ok, one more chance. Santiago Medina...WHERE IS HE?" The man just smiles and says nothing. Tom then smashes the man's face into the metal table in front of him as freeze the frame.

_Narration by Tom: "Hi there, nice to meet you. Nice shirt, by the way. I'm Tom Falk, the guy giving that Bolivian bastard a new nose job on the table. Now, normally this kind of interrogation would earn a CIA agent a pretty stiff reprimand. But, in a month, I'm set to join a new venture the CIA has going, and my transfer is irrevocable. Wait, how could a meathead like me get this far in the CIA, much less be able to say words like 'irrevocable' without sounding like a dumbass? Well, let's just say I was cut from a different cloth..."_

**Play theme**: youtube dot com /watch?v=22Vz-ngNomA

We start out in a house in the woods. _"Welcome to Bunker, Missouri. Population: 427." _We see a picture of a man and woman. _"That's my mom and dad. They look so happy, don't they?" _We then see a news article of an accident on a rural road. "_Yeah, that's my mom in the article. Died instantly when a drunk driver crossed the center line and hit her head on as she was coming home with baby food for me. I was 6 months old and at home with my dad when I lost mom." _We then see a picture of an older couple holding a baby. "_That's my grandpa and grandma. And that's me they're holding. My dad somehow survived Vietnam, but he couldn't survive the death of his sweetheart. When he started loving Jack Daniels more than me, my grandparents, my mother's parents, stepped in and took care of me..." _We then see a picture of a young, black haired boy. "..._my older brother Eddie..."_ and a picture of a girl approaching her teens. "..._and Karen, the oldest of us three." _We are shown the original picture in the woods. "_Oh, by the way, that's the house I was raised in. I know, not very big and not very nice. My grandparents bought it from my dad before he went completely bankrupt."_ We are shown a picture of Chris and Tom playing baseball outside the house. "_Eddie was a great athlete growing up, and just a good guy overall. I, on the other hand, was awful at sports and quit playing after I accused an umpire of getting a 'favor' before the game from the opposing team's coach after a questionable strike 3 call. Ok, I didn't so much quit as get barred from the league, but you get the idea."_ We see a picture of Tom and Chris in high school. _"Ah yes, Bunker High School. Eddie was a junior when this picture was taken and I was a freshman. Notice how he's always smiling and I have a sour puss on my face? Well, for as much of a golden boy Eddie was, I was the black sheep of the family. But no matter what, Eddie was there to bail me out of bad situations. It was in those days that I learned what family and friendship was all about."_

Back in the dark warehouse, we see the Bolivian man holding his nose. "You broke my nose, you piece of..." Tom says "Hey, hey, you were resisting us earlier and we needed to use force to restrain you, right Chris?" We see a man step into the picture, a tall, muscular African-American man with a shaved head and an angry face. "Damn right. That's the story I'm going with." We see another man step into the light, this time a white man with average height, short brown hair, a light brown beard, and a smirk on his face. "I'm with you on that, Chris." Tom smiles at the second man. "See, Carlos, my boys Chris and Mike know what happened...we broke your nose when you resisted. Accidents happen. But, that story might be subject to change. See, they say if you hit the nose with an upward thrust, it could kill a man. Wanna see what I'm talking about?" Tom puts a struggling Carlos in a full nelson and drags him over to Chris. "Chris, do that voodoo that you do so well." We see Chris start to rear back before Tom's narration stops the scene in its tracks.

"_Ok, before we see the imminent face-breakage that's about to come, you might be wondering why I use so much force on the job. My bosses wonder the same thing. Well, I always knew to use the tools that you use best to get the results you desire..."_ We flash back to the home in the woods. We see the younger version of Eddie walking home with a busted face. The younger version of Tom is in the living room with his grandparents when he walks in the door. Tom screams "Eddie! Who did this to you?" Eddie, trying to hide his face, says "I don't want to talk about it." The grandfather gets to his feet and slams down his newspaper. "_That's my grandpa Ed. He doesn't take kindly to things he knows isn't on the up and up."_ Ed says "Eddie! You tell me what happened to your face!" Eddie looks at Ed with a scared look. _"It turns out Eddie had run afoul with the school bullies. Thankfully, since this is a small town, there were just three of them, and they liked to run together. In this case, Eddie refused to let the lead bully copy off of his science paper one day. They didn't take very kindly to that and Eddie paid for it on the way home from school when the bullies played punching bag on Eddie's face. I was enraged when I saw my brother."_ Tom stands up to Eddie. "I'm going to make those bullies wish they hadn't messed with you, Eddie." The grandma tells Tom "Violence isn't going to heal Eddie's face." "_Ah, my grandma Violet. So often in my childhood, she would be the voice of reason when I would act like a fool. Well, for one of the only times I can document in my childhood, I didn't listen." _ At school the next day, we see three guys laughing it up at a locker. One guy is a hulking 6'4 and weighing at least 250 pounds. It's clear this guy is the alpha male of the group. The guy to his right is noticeably shorter and the guy to his left is a runt compared to the leader. Flash to Tom walking down the hallway with a look of vengeance on his face. The leader takes notice. "You got something to say, Falkie?" Tom just shakes his head slowly and keeps advancing. The bully then asks "What do you wa..." He's cut off by Tom's right foot kicking him square in the nuts. The taller underling starts to get in Tom's face. Tom just responds by grabbing the guy's head, ramming it into a locker door, and then slamming a locker door on his head repeatedly while the little bully is trying to restrain Tom. As the taller underling collapses in a heap, Tom turns his attention to the smaller bully, who is shorter than Tom by a couple inches. Tom throws the small bully back first into a wall, gives him a forearm shot to the face, then picks him up and carries him on his shoulder to the nearest rubber trashcan. Tom rips off the lid, stuffs the small bully in it face-first, and then starts to walk off with the trashcan. By now, a small crowd has gathered and is following Tom. Outside, we see Tom open up one of the front doors and chuck the smaller bully down the front steps. After the smaller bully finally makes it to the bottom, Tom turns around to see the crowd surrounded around him. Tom just gives them a stone cold look until a man in a suit walks up and orders Tom to go to the principals office. Tom looks at the principal in a remorseful look and says "Sorry, I was just taking out the trash." The crowd of kids laughs as the principal drags Tom away. _"They gave me just a week's suspension for my actions. I, for one, was actually surprised it wasn't longer considering all the bedlam I raised. My grandparents put me on cat litter detail for a month too. But, all the cat crap in the world couldn't deter me from the biggest thing I learned throughout all of that: you protect those that protect you. I also learned that aggression against evil is often necessary. From then on out, NO ONE messed with my brother or me."_

Back in the warehouse, Chris is winding up his punch when Carlos starts to speak. "OK! Ok...he's going to be overseeing a weapons transfer in the Yucatan tomorrow night!" Tom gets in the man's face again. "WHERE in the Yucatan?" Carlos says "In Progreso, on the bay, just outside of the Restaurant Eladios! Please don't let him kill me for this!" Tom looks at Chris, then Mike. "Oh, I'm sure once we get you to our headquarters, you'll find our director to be a warm and welcoming guy...well, compared to us anyway!" Chris and Mike laugh as Tom drags Carlos out of the room, ending the scene.

"_How did I end up in the CIA in the first place? Well, funny you should ask...this day, March 4__th__, 2001, marks the 10__th__ anniversary of me joining the LA branch of the CIA's Latin America Anti-Cartel. Yeah, I thought the name sucked too."_ We see a younger Tom boarding a plane at St. Louis's Lambert Airport. His grandparents are there to see him off. Ed says "I don't agree with this idea of yours, Tom. You're a strong, smart guy. Why don't you follow your brother Eddie into the Navy SEALS? You have the ability for it..." Tom says "My brother had the dream of working with the SEALS, not me. Besides, I'm not exactly Adonis, here. But, I am 19 years old, and I've spent my entire life in a po-dunk town in the heart of hillbilly country in Missouri. Working for the Bunker PD is about as fun as watching paint dry. I'm ready for some fun." Violet hugs Tom. "Remember what I told you when Nancy Schnieder broke up with you when you were 11: We all have a role in life to play to everyone. Just what that role is to each person up to you. Be careful in Los Angeles." Tom, releasing the hug, says "Thanks grandma. You take care of this man now." Violet laughs as Ed gets an angry look on his face. "I can take care of MYSELF, thank you!" Tom laughs and eventually Ed does too. We see Tom walk down the airport terminal, then the scene suddenly freezes.

"_Ok, hang on, I went too far ahead. I wasn't going out to LA to have fun..."_

_**Bunker, Missouri**_

It's 1991 and we see a younger Tom at a diner in Bunker. He's holding a business card in his hands. It shows a name of "Eduardo Munoz, Director of CIA Latin America Anti-Cartel". Tom looks a little nervous as he plays about with his card, waiting on someone. Finally, a latino man (_Note: Ideal actor for this role: Benito Martinez, who played a police captain in The Shield_) in a business suit walks in the front door of the diner. He obviously stands out in the crowd at the country diner. The man looks over and sees Tom. Tom stands up and reaches out his hand. "Thanks for meeting with me..." The man doesn't extend his hand out. "Not here. Hop in the car with me, we'll talk there." A young looking blond-haired waitress walks up to Tom. "Are you not going to be getting anything?" Tom smiles and gives the waitress a kiss on the cheek. "No, Kate. I'll be back later." Kate nods her head as Tom and the latino man walk out. They get into the man's SUV and drive off. Tom looks over from the passenger's seat. "What's going on, Mister Munoz?" Eduardo looks ahead. "Too crowded in there. Besides, what did I tell you about your girlfriend? If you want to work with us..." An agitated Tom cuts him off. "Hang on a second, you guys recruited ME. I've been dating Kate for years, and I can't leave her behind." Eduardo says "Well, you're going to have to..." Tom says "No. If I go, she goes. I'll tell her I'm going out to LA to work for the police." Eduardo smiles. "Bunker Police to LAPD. That's quite a leap." Tom says "Well, turns out you're quite the influential man, Eduardo. I'll tell her you pulled some strings after I spearheaded the largest drug bust in Missouri since..." Eduardo says "Spearheaded? Yeah, you had a big role to play, but you didn't lead anything." Tom says "If it weren't for my intel that I worked so hard to get, I'd be eating pancakes back at the diner with Kate and you'd still be searching desperately for new talent." Eduardo just smirks. "Are we going to argue or are we going to discuss you joining my team?" Tom sits back in his seat as the car pulls into a park. There's no one around. Tom looks at Eduardo. "Ok. You tell me why I should leave the only world I've known to join the CIA." Eduardo parks the car and shifts toward Tom. "I need men like you for my team. Men that don't back down from anything or anyone. Men who would fight tooth and nail for the big bust. Men who know the value of information and how to get it. You fit the bill. Under my direction, I can take your career places you wouldn't even imagine. And, you'll be very well compensated for a guy your age." Tom just shakes his head. "This sounds too good to be true." Eduardo gives Tom a cocky grin. "Normally, you'd be right. But, the CIA is always looking for young men like you to grow and cultivate. Eventually, you had to know all those letters you sent to CIA headquarters were going to get you noticed eventually, right?" Tom chuckles as Eduardo continues. "I also know you like to get your hands dirty. I've talked with your police chief." Tom rears back his head and laughs. "Oh really? What all has he told you about me? That I had three complaints of brutality on me in the past month?" Eduardo chuckles a bit. "That...and the fact that you're a headhunter for crime. We'll need you to tone down the violence a bit, but that's something we'll handle during your training." Tom looks outside the window. It's still winter in Missouri. All the leaves are still down from the trees and there's some remnants of a recent snow. Tom scans over the park area, but as he does, the dreariness of the park seems to sink in with him. Tom then looks over at Eduardo. "Ok, I'm in. What now?"

_And that was how it all began. I eventually did convince Eduardo to let me bring Kate with me. Kate was all for the idea of going to Los Angeles. She was just as desperate for a move to the big city as I was. Her parents weren't so keen on it, but then again, I never liked her parents anyway, so who cares? Anyway, I've been working for ten years under the Anti-Cartel. Eduardo was actually a decent boss, but he got let go after some CIA bureaucratic power play. Every clown that's sat in his office since has done their damnedest to run this division to the ground._

_**Los Angeles- Anti-Cartel Headquarters**_

We see Tom, Chris, and Mike walk in to a CIA building with Carlos, who has blood dried on his face from his nose being broken earlier. Standing in the lobby to meet them is a short, balding man with a not-so-happy look on his face. "Tom, I told you to bring this man in unharmed. How many times..." Tom says "Carlos here apparently wasn't very responsive to coming in here on his own, so I had to give his nose a makeover. But, you'll be happy to know that Santiago Medina is making a weapons drop in the Yucatan tomorrow night. And we're going to bust it wide open, Paulie." The man, still angry, says "How many times have I told you, it's MISTER Giovanni!" Tom says "Yeah, and how many times have I told you to call Chris 'Mister Cooper' and Mike 'Mister Walcott'? Oh wait, never! Because they're human beings, just like you." Paul just stands there and shakes his head. "I can't wait until you three are out of my sight in a few weeks. I can't believe they're giving you a supervisory role." Chris, in his natural deep voice, says "Tom's a better boss than you, and he's not even a boss by title!" Paul looks at Chris angrily, then looks back at Tom and says "Ok, enough of this. Tom, bring Carlos back with you. After we're done with him, we'll go over your mission." Tom gives Paul a mocking salute, which is followed up by mocking salutes from Chris and Mike. Paul just turns around and walks off in a huff.

_I had to get out of there. As much as it looks like I'm having fun grilling this pencil-pusher, he's been a giant wart on my ass for going on a year now. In fact, a couple of years ago before he became the director, he helped got my mentor Mitch canned over some bullcrap just to prove some point. Too bad he was already a piece of crap before he did that, so he proved nothing. But no matter what he could do, he could not stop what me, Chris, and Mike had going. Our work still received high grades from the even-higher ups, and luckily, a son of a senator that just got the keys to a brand new CIA division had taken notice._

Two months earlier, we see Tom, Chris, and Mike in a conference room. Across the table sat a tall, young, bright eyed man with blindingly blonde hair and a million dollar smile. The man smiles. "Gentlemen, thanks for agreeing to meet with me. My name is Harold Vandenburg." Vandenburg speaks with a noticeable whiff of aristocracy in his voice, a sign of his wealthy upbringing. Chris, ever the smartass, cuts him off. "Harold...is that the formal name for Harry?" Vandenburg smirks and says "Ah yes, the mouthpiece of the trio..." Tom is now the one that cuts him off. "Now wait a sec, I'm still the mouthpiece of the group. He's just the John Madden to my Pat Summerall." Vandenburg laughs a bit. "I see. Anyway, the reason I've called you three here is to discuss a potential new opportunity with you. I hear you are not seeing eye to eye with Mister Giovanni..." Tom cuts him off. "Oh, you mean Ratface." Vandenburg, taken aback a bit at Tom's crudeness, says "Is that your nickname for him?" Mike says "Yeah, because he's about as small as a rat and is just as unliked and unwanted as one." Vandenburg says "I see. Well, then it is fair to say you don't get along with Mister Giova..." Tom blankly says "Ratface." Vandenburg composes himself. "Yes, that...anyway, I personally don't believe in messing with success. And you three have helped make the Anti-Cartel a winning venture for the CIA up to this point. Problem is, as I'm sure you have noticed, this division is on its last legs." Chris says "Oh really? Is that why there's all those empty desks out there? I hadn't noticed..." Vandenburg looks unamused. "Yes. As the DEA has taken a bigger foothold in Latin American activities, the CIA is cutting funding for this place. And I know that's upset you guys. So, I've been keeping tabs on you, hoping that I would get the appointment to this new division that I've been longing to set up for a while now." Tom leans forward in his chair. "I hear your have family members in high places. Must be nice to have a dad working in the U.S. Senate's Intelligence Committee that can create a highly-funded CIA division." Vandenburg says "Oh, I know you're being sarcastic there, but in all honesty, you're actually pretty spot on. CIA Dark Cover is going to be taking on the missions that no one else in the CIA wants. We tackle the tough missions. And in order to do that, we need a team of ten people, led by you, Mister Falk." Tom's eyes open wide as Vandenburg continues. "I thought you'd like that...yes, you'd be leader in title now. Anyway, you'd lead a group of ten men, including the two seated next to you, and you'd be responsible for leading them on some of the most...interesting missions you've seen in your life. Now, I've read up on you Mister Falk..." Tom cuts him off. "Please, just call me Tom." Vandenburg says "If you insist...Tom, you like to get your hands dirty. You thrive when the going gets tough, and I know your companions share that same confidence. But, CIA Dark Cover is also a division that will not be constantly under a watchful eye. My dad has helped make this division a black ops division. I know you'll like that, Tom. You'll have a lot of freedom to do accomplish your goals...in your own unique way." Tom leans back and looks at Mike. "Why do I have a feeling that there's going to be a giant catch to all of this?" Mike says nothing as Vandenburg starts to speak. "Actually, this group will require a higher security clearance because of the subject matter we'll be dealing with. Don't worry, I'll make sure the right strings are pulled to get you all cleared. But some of the things you'll be seeing and dealing with might seem a little...perverse...strange...macabre even. Therefore, you are not to release to anyone, not even to the people closest to you, that you work for CIA Dark Cover." Tom says "That's no problem. My wife thinks I've been an undercover LAPD cop all these years. Thankfully, my subject matter made it easy to hide." Vandenburg says "I know taking this job comes with severe personal risk. But the rewards are high and I assure you, I'll be a better boss than the one you currently have." Tom thinks for a moment, then says "Can I talk with my friends in private?" Vandenburg stands up. "Absolutely, take your time. Just knock on the door when you're ready for me." Vandenburg walks out the door to the right of Tom. Tom wheels back in his chair so he can look at Chris and Mike easier. "Well guys, high risk black ops dealing with some of the most screwed up crap we can even imagine. I'm interested." Chris claps his hands. "Interested? Hell, I'm excited! I'm done with chasing down weapon cartels, that stuff is about as old as BB King, and it's got me singing the blues too!" Mike says "I'm with Chris. This could be really interesting, and we'll get carte blanche to do our jobs without a meddling weasel for a boss. I'm in." Tom looks over at Mike. "If we're accepting this, I need you to be on board with some of the demands I want to make. I want US, and no one else, to select the other 7 in our crew. I want us to operate as a team, an inseparable unit. I want to make sure we're well compensated, well funded, and that we have our own quarters. Guys, you know how hard I've busted my ass with the clowns that have run this place in recent years to keep just the three of us intact. I don't want that problem with a ten-man group." Chris says "I'm in." Mike says "Me too." Tom gets up and slaps on the door. Vandenburg walks back in and sits down in his original chair across from the three. "So, have you made a decision?" Tom says "We're in, under certain conditions." Vandenburg says "I'm listening." Tom says "We need assurances that this operation is well funded..." Vandenburg cuts him off. "I have an open checkbook. Funding will never be an issue." Tom nods his head. "We need to be well compensated..." Vandenburg says "You'll receive pay five notches above your current paygrade. The rest of the team will get three notches." Chris looks across at Mike with a look of shock. Tom chuckles as he looks at Chris and Mike. "I take it that's cool with you guys?" Mike and Chris both say "Hell yeah!" Tom turns back to Vandenburg. "Very well. And finally, we will pick the other seven in our crew. I make the final decision. And I'm going to warn you, I'll be looking for guys that have certain qualities that might not be the most desirable to you, but would be for my purposes." Vandenburg leans back in his seat and thinks for a moment. "What kind of qualities?" Tom says "I want my team to share the same sense of mission that I do. I need guys that I know have high loyalty to the cause. And, I want my team to not be afraid to get a little dirt under their fingernails in order to succeed." Vandenburg leans back forward. "I've read reports on your brutality in some of your missions. I don't want a bunch of hotheads in my division." Chris slaps his hand on the table. "Who you calling a hothead?" Tom puts a hand on Chris's shoulder and looks at him sternly. Chris relaxes as Tom looks back at Vandenburg. "You said it yourself, our division wouldn't be under the constant guise of pencil-pushers who are more worried about the means rather than the ends. If we're going to be working these missions, we need to show our opposition that we're not going to be held back by bureaucracy. I figured that's why you approached me in the first place about this job. You want results and you think I'm the guy to deliver them. So, as I said, I'm picking the team and my personnel decisions are final." Vandenburg thinks for a bit, then lets out a slow grin. "Done. Anything else?" Mike asks "Is this group going to be here in LA?" Vandenburg says "No. We're going to be based out of Maryland. The Baltimore area to be precise. I cannot give the exact location at this time." Chris turns to Tom, grinning. "I do like me some crab cakes..." Tom turns to Vandenburg with a smile. "They better have a buffet nearby for this guy." Vandenburg laughs. "Actually, there will be catering served on most days. I'll make sure crab cakes are on the menu." Chris, all excited, says "I think I speak for everyone here when I say that I'M IN BABY!" Tom just puts his head in his hand and laughs. "Nothing unites people like food..." Tom then looks at Mike, who grins and says "I'm in." Tom looks over at Vandenburg. "Let's shake on it. You got us." Vandenburg slaps his hands on the table in joy and walks over to the crew and shakes everyone's hand. "I look forward to a happy partnership." Tom has a cocky grin on his face as he shakes Vandenburg's hand. We freeze on Tom's grin.

_A four-paygrade bump? Carte blanche over how I do my business? Black ops? AND I get to pick my own team? Not bad for a country boy from the sticks, huh?_

**NEXT EPISODE: "Dark Cover"**


	5. Chapter 2: Dark Cover

**DARK COVER.**

**Day period of episode: early May 2001 (Before Season 1 of Alias)**

_**Los Angeles- Anti-Cartel Headquarters**_

At the office, Tom, Chris, and Mike are sitting at their desks shooting the breeze with each other. Chris tells Tom "So, is Kate still angry about leaving Los Angeles?" Tom shakes his head. "Nah, she got over it. She was actually starting to get tired of the condo we were living in anyway." Mike asks "What excuse did you give her for the move?" Tom shrugs. "I just told her that, instead of being fired for police brutality, I was being transferred to the Baltimore PD in the same capacity. It was either that or lose my job and go back to good ol' Bunker, Missouri. She wasn't too keen on that idea." Chris says "The lesser of two evils. Just like Bush and Gore." Mike starts shaking. "Oooh! Coop is getting political again!" Tom laughs as Chris gives Mike a playful kick in the knee. Tom then gets serious. "Guys, remember, that's our cover. We're transferring to a new undercover unit at the Baltimore PD." Chris and Mike nod their heads. At that point, Tom gets a phone call. "Anti-Cartel, Tom speaking..." Tom then puts his hand over the mouthpiece. "It's Vandenburg, guys." Chris and Mike lean in intently as Tom continues talking. "You want us there a little early?...ah, so we can get the crew assembled...in fact, here he comes now...yeah, talk to you later." Paul Giovanni walks up to Tom's desk with a smile on his face. "Well, gentlemen, looks like Christmas came WAY early for me. Your transfer just went through a month early. Clean your desks and get out of here." Tom smiles and sarcastically says "Aren't you going to say please?" Paul says "After I walk away, I don't have to say anything to you guys anymore!" Chris says "Sorry you feel that way. I'll make sure you're off the Christmas card list." Paul drops off their transfer orders and walks away. The three of them look at their transfer orders, then at just about the same time, they look up at each other with big grins.

_**Los Angeles- Tom's condo**_

Later, we see Tom's SUV pull into a parking spot in front of a condo building. He pops open the back door and starts grabbing various boxes filled with things from work. He grabs two boxes to start, then closes the back door of the SUV and starts walking towards the stairs. As he gets to the bottom of the stairs, Kate is looking down at him. "What are you doing home so early?" Tom chuckles a bit as he starts walking up the stairs. "The transfer came through a little early. They want me in Maryland Monday." Kate's eyes bug out. "WHAT? We have to sell the condo, pack up, move...and it's only Thursday!" Tom gets to the top of the stairs and walks into their condo with Kate. "Kate, I'll fly out there tomorrow with Chris and Mike. I'll find us an apartment to live in. Meanwhile, the Baltimore PD is paying for my moving expenses and there'll be movers here over the weekend. Stay here, make sure they don't break anything, and then you can fly out and join me in Baltimore. And talk to your real estate agent friend and get this thing on the market now!" Kate looks down. "This is all happening so fast..." Tom sets down the boxes and puts his hands on Kate's shoulders. "This is a good thing. It's a new start." Kate rolls her eyes at Tom. "Yeah right, a new start to abusing criminals. Maybe in another 10 years, you'll get demoted back to the Bunker PD!" Tom laughs and shakes his head. "No, that's not going to happen. I see eye to eye with the chief in Baltimore. I have been a bit rough, but this is a guy that I do want to impress. We'll be Marylanders for a while, babe." Tom leans over and gives Kate a kiss. They separate and Kate stares at Tom. After a while, she starts to crack a smile. "I'm happy they're letting you settle in first." Kate gives Tom a peck on the cheek. "You're right. We'll be ok. Need help with the other boxes?" Tom says "Nah, I only need one more trip to get the rest." Kate says "Alright, I'll start cooking dinner." Tom, who was walking towards the front door, stops. "Nah, let's go out tonight. There's no In-And-Out Burgers on the east coast." Kate laughs and says "Sounds like a date to me!" Tom smiles back and then heads out the door.

**Play theme**: youtube dot com /watch?v=22Vz-ngNomA

_**Baltimore, Maryland- Baltimore Washington Airport**_

The next day, Tom, Chris, and Mike are grabbing their bags at Baltimore Washington Airport. As Chris is waiting for his bag, the three of them are approached by a familiar face. "Gentlemen, welcome to the East Coast." They turn to see Harold Vandenburg standing behind them smiling. Tom reaches out and shakes his hand. "Good to see you...boss!" Vandenburg chuckles a bit at that comment as he shakes the hands of Chris and Mike as well. "Boss...I think I can get used to that nickname." Tom says "Do I want to know your other nicknames?" Vandenburg just smiles and says "That's between me and all those dead hookers back in Florida." The smiles quickly erase and the eyebrows shoot up on the faces of Tom, Chris, and Mike. Vandenburg stands there looking deadpan for a bit, then starts to laugh. "Gotcha!" Tom, Chris, and Mike look at each other for a bit before starting to laugh themselves. Vandenburg, perhaps realizing his brand of humor wasn't a really successful one, says "Anyway, I've arranged for your ride to headquarters. I also have secured living arrangements for all of you and your families." Tom looks at Chris and Mike relieved. "My wife Kate was worried about where we'd be staying." Vandenburg says "I told you I wouldn't spare any expense to make this operation work. The living quarters are good for 6 months. I figure that should give you all time to find permanent housing." Tom and Mike look satisfied as Chris turns around and finds his luggage. Seeing as everyone has their luggage, Vandenburg then says "Follow me, gentlemen." They all walk out of the airport to find a stretch limo. Chris starts to laugh as Vandenburg, Tom and Mike all look at him. Tom asks "What is it, Coop?" Chris says "I always wanted to be like Shaq! Now, I'll just get to ride around like him!" Vandenburg appears amused as Tom and Mike share a little laugh. The limo driver opens the back door and the four of them enter the limo.

We catch up with the four in Edgewood, Maryland, a suburb of Baltimore. Mike recognizes the area. "This is by the Aberdeen Proving Ground. Are we actually in a U.S. Army building?" Vandenburg, enjoying some champagne, says "No. We have our own place away from the Army." Chris asks "So, did you get us a real nice building?" Vandenburg says "Well, it's not really a building, per say." Tom raises his eyebrows and Vandenburg notices. "Ok, I guess I can tell you all now. We're in an underground bunker. Back in the World War II days, it was designed as a fallout shelter for high ranking government officials. But, it sort of outlived its existence after better shelters were built. I picked the place because it's rather inconspicuous and gave me a lot of space to work with. I've made some...improvements to the place since I was placed in charge of the division." Chris rolls his eyes. "Man, I wanted me a window office!" Vandenburg laughs. "I assure you, the place does have a certain cheer to it. You'll like your team's office." Just as he says that, the limo pulls up to a dead end. The limo driver presses a button under his visor and a hidden door that's in the concrete wall ahead opens up to reveal an underground driveway. "Welcome home" Vandenburg says as the team looks on. The limo goes down the tunnel and into what looks like a parking garage. There's no doors to be seen in the parking lot, save for the one they came through and an elevator at the far end. The limo parks in front of the elevator. Vandenburg says "You guys can get out now, we're here." Tom, Chris, and Mike get out. One thing they notice is a line of black luxury cars lined up to the left of the elevator. Tom asks "I recently read a news report on Congress approving the purchase of 50 brand new, luxury Cadillacs for unknown reasons. Are these those cars?" Vandenburg finishes getting out of the limo. "Yes. You each will get one of those to use for work purposes. They have the opener for the hidden door to the parking garage. I cannot stress enough that you cannot use these cars for anything besides work." The three of them look at each other a bit. Tom says "Chris, sure beats that junker that you rode around in when you first joined the Anti-Cartel." Chris gets an upset look. "What? My El Camino was a classic!" Mike shakes his head. "Yeah, a classic in the same line of a DeLorean or a Ford Pinto." Chris says "What do those two cars have to do with each other, much less an El Camino?" Mike says "Because all three cars were colossal flops in the automotive business." Chris just shakes his head. "Man, haters gonna hate..." Vandenburg then hands them each a keycard. "Gentlemen, keep this card on you at all times. This will let you enter the elevator." Vandenburg then walks the three over to the elevator door. Vandenburg grabs a keycard of his own and swipes it on a keypad next to what looks to be typical up and down elevator controls. The door opens. "Follow me" Vandenburg says. They do and the door closes. Vandenburg them points to the elevator floor controls. "Ok, you see that these go from G for ground all the way down to B6. Gentlemen, I cannot stress enough the importance that you press B4 every time you arrive at the office." Tom asks "Why?" Vandenburg then points up to some vents in the elevator. "Because, you press any other button other than G or B4, and poison gas will fill this cab, the entire office will be alerted of a possible intrusion, and the elevator and automatically go down to B4. The gas will knock you out just long enough for us to grab you, check for any identity, run it, and know everything from your first high school girlfriend to what your favorite fast food place is before you wake up again." The three nod their heads as Vandenburg hits the B4 button. The elevator starts to go down.

When the elevator door opens, we see Tom, Chris, and Mike look out in amazement. Vandenburg smiles as he looks out too and says "Welcome to CIA Dark Cover." As the four walk out, we see what exactly it is they're looking at: a state of the art facility with marble flooring and all the trimmings. They walk out into the main floor, which has three rows of desks set up for eventual staff. The second open level of the place has some private offices and rooms as well as a walkway that wraps around the bottom floor. As Tom, Chris, and Mike look on, Vandenburg turns around. "Yes, I'm happy with this place too. Come, let me show you to your office." Vandenburg starts walking down a row of those empty desks as the three others follow. Vandenburg walks to the end of a row of desks, where a double door stands in their way with a stairwell to the left and a single door to the right. "Gentlemen, you'll see there's an empty nameplate. Your first assignment here in Dark Cover is to find a name for your tactical team. I want something...catchy. Something that goes along with the Dark Cover theme." Vandenburg walks in and the three others follow. They then see a large open office with desks lined up in a U shape, three down the left, three facing facing a projector screen in the middle, and three lined up down the right. The desks have brand new, sleek looking computers on them. At the left side of the room, we see various vending machines as well as a full kitchen. To their right lies various shelves and tables with standard office equipment set up. We also see a doorway to the left and right of the projector screen. Chris says "Man, these are some nice digs!" Vandenburg turns around and smirks. "I wanted to make sure you all had the tools and comfort you need to do the best job possible. Everything in the vending machines are free of charge." Chris walks over to check out the various food and drink options while Mike goes and checks out one of the computers. Tom looks at the door on the left. "What do those doors lead to?" Vandenburg turns around. "The door to the left is your team's personal bathroom. The door to your right is a station for your operations tech guy. I suggest that you find that guy first as I want to get make sure he's up to speed with the equipment we have." Tom nods and says "My thoughts exactly." Vandenburg says "To the outside of your room, you will find an interrogation room through the door on the right. There's also a second door to an observation room on the right side next to the copier and printer." Vandenburg points over to a door that Tom apparently didn't notice. Vandenburg tells Chris and Mike to listen in for a second. Chris stops admiring the vending machines while Mike turns from a computer. "Gentlemen, your second assignment is to fill your team. I trust you all will use proper judgment." We hear a knock on the doors to the office. Vandenburg says "Come in!" We see a familiar face (if you watched Season 2 of Alias) walk in. "Hi guys, am I here at a bad time?" Vandenburg smiles. "Not at all! Gentlemen, I want you to meet my second in command James Lennox!" Tom walks up and shakes his hand. James says "It's a pleasure to meet you. Vandenburg speaks highly of your work." Tom looks at Vandenburg. "Well, just wait until he sees me and my team in action. Sunshine or storm, we get it done." James says "I like your confidence." Vandenburg says "James has been gathering intel on the missions we'll be tackling here for some time. He'll be the boss you report to, Tom. Anything you need or any questions you have about a mission go through him. I'm just here to make sure this place operates smoothly." Mike says "How do you know James, Harry?" Vandenburg gives him a look. "Please don't call me Harry, I hate that name." Chris says "What SHOULD we call you then, for the record? Mister Vandenburg is a mouthful." Vandenburg says "You can just call me Vandenburg if you like. 'Boss' has a nice ring to it..." Mike says "Vandenburg...how do you know James?" James looks at Vandenburg. "I got this one." Vandenburg gives him a grin as James turns to Tom, Chris, and Mike. "We're old college friends. He was more about the behind the scenes, political stuff while I always always the one in action. Me and Vandenburg are good friends. In fact, Vandenburg helped introduce me to my wife, Emma." Vandenburg chuckles a bit. "Yes, Emma was a friend of the family growing up. I set the two up on a blind date and just let them do their thing." James laughs. "Well, we've been doing "our thing" for 6 years now. She'll be working with us as well." Tom says "Is she going to be taking one of the spots on the team?" James says "Oh no! She's technically freelance, but you'll see her every now and then. She really likes deep cover assignments." Tom nods his head. "Well, I look forward to working with you. Maybe after we get settled in, we can go find us a good place to eat. You can bring Emma and I'll bring my wife Kate." Chris says "Uh, you gonna bring us too?" Tom looks at Chris with a smile. "Yes. I'll make sure there's plenty of crab cakes where we're going." Chris claps his hands in excitement as James laughs. "Crab cakes? In this city, crab cakes are about as common as a cheesesteak in Philly. I'll make sure you're covered there, big guy." James gives Chris a slap on the shoulder, then turns to Tom. "Well, I see you have some staff members to fill. I'll leave you to it." Vandenburg says "See you later, gentlemen" and walks out with James. Tom walks over to the middle computer on the bottom row while Chris and Mike take computers next to him. Mike says "Man, even the underbosses here are alright." Tom says "Sure would seem that way." Chris looks like he's deep in thought as Tom notices. "What's up? Got crab cakes on the brain?" Chris says "I think you might have stumbled on our team name when you were talking to James." Tom ponders "What do you mean?" Chris says "The part where you said 'Sunshine or storm, we get it done'." Tom thinks for a moment, then asks "And...?" Chris leans forward. "The name of this division is Dark Cover, and we're the crew they send on a stormy day. Guys...we're The Storm Crew!" Tom and Mike lean back and think about it for a bit. Tom then looks over at Mike, who tells him "I like it." Tom looks over at Chris and nods approvingly. "Let it be known, on this date, Cinco de Mayo, that Chris Cooper came up with the name of the biggest, baddest tactical unit in the CIA that no one knows about: The Storm Crew." Chris smiles wide as Tom turns to his computer. "Now, guys, we need to work on that second assignment. This office is too big for just the three of us." Mike says "What should we look for in our op-tech guy?" Tom leans back in his chair. "Since computer wizardry will be a requirement, we need a guy that isn't afraid to push the envelope. Howver, we need a guy who sees what he's doing as a necessity, not just for the thrill. Quite frankly, we need someone on CIA's Top 10 Cybercrime Most Wanted list." Chris opens his eyes wide. "WHAT? We're hiring a criminal for this squad?" Tom looks over at Chris. "Chris, why do most people commit crimes?" Chris shrugs. Tom continues "Oh come on, you know this from hunting down gangbangers all these years! It's because of necessity. They need to commit crime in order to provide a living or to feed some sort of fix, or whatever the reason may be. However, in the cybercrime world, it's a complete 180. I have a friend in cybercrime, and he's always told me that most cybercrimers are rebels without a cause or thrillseekers or have some bone to pick. So, we have to dig for a guy that's lethal with technology, but who is doing it out out of necessity and isn't a junkie. You get a cyber geek with that mentality, and he'll be an asset." Mike says "That might be hard to find." Tom looks over at him. "Nah. Out of 10 people, there's a good chance there's one that has a valid reason for doing what he does. I'll get us the list from my friend and we'll find one." Chris says "Yeah, but the CIA wants those people on the list behind bars, not working for them!" Tom says "No. The CIA just wants them to stop ripping off banks and infiltrating security systems, but my friend in Cybercrime says it's not uncommon for these criminals to end up getting jobs with law enforcement or even the federal government combating other nerds of their ilk. Besides guys, we have a boss that has REAL clout finally! I'll get Vandenburg to pull the strings so he can bring in our guy." Mike says "What if he can't?" Tom says "Then we'll know he doesn't have the clout I think he does. Either way, it's good to test him early so we know." Chris says "Alright, in the meantime, you think they deliver here? I'm hungry." Tom looks at Chris suspiciously. "Chris, look behind you. Don't those vending machines have food?" Chris chuckles. "Oh yeah, I forgot. I'm not used to having dining options at work." Mike says "Don't forget, Vandenburg promised us catering eventually." Chris gives a big smile. "Oh, I didn't forget that!" Tom says "Alright, you two get acquainted with your computers and the fine dining options, I'll go make the call to get the list."

A little later, we see Chris and Mike snacking on some cupcakes as Tom walks back into the room with a stack of files. He just looks at the two gorging on snack food and shakes his head. "Mike, don't tell me you've succumbed to the junk food gods." Mike says "Hey, I was pretty hungry myself. That lemon pepper chicken they served on the plane was garbage." Chris says "Besides, we're taste testing, Tom! Like they did in the old days, they'd have some servant test a king's dinner to make sure it wasn't poisoned!" Tom nods his head in sarcasm. "Yeah...right..." Tom relaxes and asks Chris "Do they have Vanilla Coke here?" Chris says "Damn right, third machine from the left!" Tom sets the files down at his desk. "Each of you grab a couple and go over them. I'll join you in a bit. We see Chris and Mike each grab a couple from the stack as Tom gets his soda. He walks back over and starts looking at the first one. Chris opens one of his files up and sets it down right away. "Muhammed Al-Farooq. Cyberterrorist for Al-Qaeda. Yeah, I don't think so." Mike says "I got a guy here that likes to hack into non-profits and steal money for an African terrorist group. Real classy guy." Tom looks at his. "Ok, John "N3tczar" Mullins...the 'e' in net is a '3'...get it?" Tom rolls his eyes then continues. "This guy likes to clone credit cards. A lot of credit cards. And then he sells them to anyone he feels like. No kids, no wife, just a greedy bastard. Nah." Tom sets his down. We see the three finish theirs up with equally unsavory folk. That leaves Tom with one more. Chris says "Tom, this might not have been a good idea." Tom looks over at Chris. "Have faith. We'll get our guy if this one isn't it." We then see Tom open up the last file to find the picture of a short geeky looking guy with ragged, medium length brown hair. "David Marston...23 years old out of Philly...busted for hacking mainframes... wanted for hacking into the FBI database, interesting...also was thrown out of MIT for trying to change his final grades in the computer..." Chris says "That's pretty clever. Well, looks like we have another loser..." Tom then sees something that interests him. "Nope, this one's a winner." Mike leans over as Chris asks "Huh? This guy sounds like a typical cyber punk." Tom shakes his head. "No, look at this." Mike looks at what Tom's pointing at and says "Divorced two years ago...when his crimes really started...and he has a 1 year old son named Davie." Mike looks up at Tom. "Necessity. This guy fits the bill." Chris finally gets up and looks at the file. "Man, that guy's TINY. How's he going to help us?" Tom shakes his head. "He's not going to be out in the field with us, Chris! At least, not in an active role. But, as I look at his file, great grades in school...he was on his way to double-majoring at MIT in electrical and computer engineering...this is our guy." Chris shakes his head a bit, then sighs. "Alright, I guess. Mike, what do you think?" Mike looks up at him. "I think he could have the goods." Tom then says "Now, we have to sell it to Vandenburg."

We see the three walk up the stairwell to the left of their office, and then to the center office, which Vandenburg is in. Tom knocks on the door. Vandenburg, who's on the phone, notices them through the glass door and makes the hand motion to have them come in. Tom opens the door and Chris and Mike follow in as Vandenburg finishes up his conversation. "...yes, I understand, we'll address that issue as this place gets staffed...ok, I have a meeting, I'll talk to you later...bye dad." Vandenburg then sets the phone down and looks up at the three. "Gentlemen, settling in ok?" Tom asks "Talking to Harold Senior?" Vandenburg says "Yes. I'm trying to get faster data connections here, but it seems that, even with this place's makeover, some antiquities still remain. Anyway, how can I help you gentlemen?" Tom says "We've completed that first assignment of yours." Vandenburg says "Oh, you have a name now?" Tom looks at Chris. "Tell him, it was your idea." Chris looks down the floor a little shy, then back up. "Tom was telling James that we're the people you send in on a stormy day. Well, we all agree that our tactical unit should be called 'The Storm Crew.'" Vandenburg gets a wide grin and claps his hands. "Yes! I like it! Dark Cover's go-to tactical unit...The Storm Crew! Although...I'd drop the 'the' in the name...just...'Storm Crew'." Tom nods and says "Works for me." Vandenburg says "I'll get the nameplate made up for you guys in a couple days." Tom says "There's another thing, about our second assignment." Vandenburg says "Yes, have you guys found an operations technology person yet?" Tom says "Well...yeah, but we're going to need your help to secure his services." Vandenburg looks a little quizzically. "Well, the recruitment of personnel was to be left completely up to you, that's what you wanted." Tom says "And I also wanted people of a certain character. So, I talked to my contact in the CIA Cybercrime Division and got their current Top 10 Most Wanted list. The man I want is #7 on that list." Tom hands Vandenburg the file on David Marston. Vandenburg looks at it for a bit. "This man has quite a reputation for hacking...ooh, he got thrown out of MIT for trying to change grades, that's creative." Tom says "That's all important, but he also has a child and is a single father. Cybercrimers that do what they do out of necessity are the ones that can be assets on your side." Vandenburg says "If CIA Cybercrime gets their hands on this guy before we do, forget about it." Tom says "That's why we need to get to him first. He's based out of the Philly area, but doesn't have a single address for him, he likes to bounce around apparently. He does have some known accomplices, so we can talk to them. If we capture him, we want you to pull strings to get him a job here. If he's in our possession and off the streets, the CIA might go along with having him under their command instead of behind bars. Besides, the guy has a kid, and you'd be doing a good deed by making sure that kid grows up with his father in his life instead of foster care." Vandenburg turns around and walks to his desk. He sits down and appears to be thinking for a bit. Tom says "Come on, I know you can come through for us on this one. The rest of the team shouldn't require this kind of string-pulling." Vandenburg thinks for a little bit longer. Then he nods and says "Go for it. Have James show you where we keep our cache of weapons. There's some laptops on the op-tech room in your office that you can use in the field. Come see me when you get him."

_**Philadelphia- Outside Geno's Steaks**_

We move on to Philadelphia, where we see a geeky guy standing in line outside of Geno's Steaks. All of the sudden, we see Chris standing behind him, towering over the guy. The geeky guy turns and looks at Chris's sneering face, a little intimidated. The guy is allowed to order his sub, but after he's done, Chris flashes out his CIA badge and says sternly "You're coming with me." The kid walks over to a black Cadillac with tinted windows. As he gets in, he notices Tom and Mike in the front seat. "Guys, I'm straight, I don't hack anymore." Tom then casually looks at a file. "Oh really? Then why do I have this report that says you have over 5,000 illegally downloaded songs from Napster?" The guy says "What is this?" Tom looks back. "Jimmy Long, you might be aware that music pirating is becoming a serious offense. People are getting yanked from their mother's basements and thrown into the court system because they didn't want to pay for the latest Limp Bizkit single. Mike, how much does each song cost in damages?" Mike looks at Tom. "I know one guy just got busted for downloading over 20,000 songs. He's being sued by the music industry for $500,000, so that's about $25 a song." Tom turns back to Jimmy and says "Do the math, you're looking down the barrel of a $125,000 lawsuit." Jimmy starts looking nervous. "I told you guys! I'm clean, I don't have that kind of money anymore!" Tom then closes Jimmy's file. "Oh, we know that. Listen, that big guy that brought you to the car is hungry for a cheesesteak. So, we can make this little inconvenience go away in exchange for that cheesesteak and the location of David Marston." Jimmy looks over at Chris, who still is looking as intimidating as before. "David...I don't run with him normally anymore online. But, I just saw him yesterday. He's living in an apartment building at the corner of Brown and Marvine Streets near downtown Philly. 1137 Brown Street, Apartment 4C." Tom looks at Mike, who nods his head. Then he looks back at Jimmy. "Ok, give the nice fella to the left of you that sandwich and get out of here." Jimmy hands Chris the cheesesteak. As he gets out of the car, Jimmy then looks back in the car. "Is David in trouble? He's not a bad guy, he's got a kid." Tom looks back at him. "That depends on him." Jimmy then closes the door and Tom drives off.

We later see the black Cadillac in a different part of Philly. We see Chris in the backseat finishing the cheesesteak. Mike looks back. "So, how was it?" Chris shrugs. "Not bad, actually. I'm not sure how Pat's across the street can top it." Tom says "When we're in Philly next time, we'll get one from each and have ourselves a taste test. I'm curious too." Tom pulls over on the street next to an average-looking apartment building. Tom sees 1137 on the doorway. "Ok guys, this is our place. Let's go." Chris asks "You want me to grab the duffel bag with the guns?" Tom starts to get out of the car, then sits back in. "No. Leave it. We won't need it." Chris looks a little surprised as they all exit the car. As they enter the apartment and walk up the stairs, they pass various residents of the apartment, including a rather attractive lady. Chris takes notice. "Damn, this kid can pick an apartment!" Tom says "Quiet! We're almost to the 4th floor." The three of them make it to the 4th floor and stand outside apartment C. Tom takes the near side of the door while Mike goes over to the far side. We see Chris stand outside facing the door. Chris looks over at Tom. "Shall I kick it down?" Tom looks at him and shakes his head. "No, get behind me, I'm going to try to do this the nice way." Tom knocks on the door. We hear a muffled "Who is it?" on the other side. Tom looks at Mike, then says "Uh, Pizza Hut! You have a delivery?" We then hear "I didn't order any pizza!" Tom then says "Uh, this order was made by a Jimmy Long?" We then hear footsteps and David crack the door open. Tom peeks in and gets a good look at David, then rams the door open with his shoulder. David goes flying back as the three enter with Chris holding the duffel bag. Tom then pulls out a pistol. "CIA! Don't move, David Marston!" David, lying on his back, holds up his hands. Soon after that, we hear a baby crying. Tom looks over into a closed bedroom door. David then says "That's Davie, you woke him up!" Tom stands there with the gun pointed at David for a moment. The baby continues to cry as Tom looks back at David. "Ok, get up, go grab your child, and have a seat on the couch. I'm watching you." David slowly gets up to his feet and walks to the bedroom. He walks back out holding a child in his arms. The child has stopped crying. David does as he's asked and sits on a couch. Mike walks over to his computer. "So, what kind of project are you working on here?" David looks down and says nothing as he consoles his child. Tom then shows David his CIA badge. "David, did you know you're on CIA Cybercrime's most wanted list?" David says "Yeah. Jimmy must have told you where I'm at. I bounce around from place to place, trying to stay anonymous." Tom says "Eventually, even the worst drug lords that hide for their entire lives eventually get caught, no matter how careful they are. You had to know you'd get caught eventually." David starts to cry. "I was just hoping to do this long enough to give Davie a chance." Tom looks over at Mike. Mike nods and says "You're right about this guy, Tom. He does care about his kid." David looks at Mike and says "Davie is my life. His mother left me before he was born, then just dropped him off one day, not wanting the responsibility of raising him. Since then, I've been hacking, trying to provide a living for my kid." Tom says "I guess there's not much of a job market for a guy who has multiple cybercrimes on his record and an expulsion from MIT for forging grades." David says "You're right, there isn't." Tom sits across from David in a recliner while Mike sits down in a kitchen chair and Chris sits next to David on the couch. David looks at Tom. "Am I under arrest?" Tom leans forward. "The CIA Cybercrime division wants you bad. They want to throw you into jail for hacking into government security systems." David looks down. "I should never have taken that job. A friend of mine offered me $10,000 if I could pluck a file from the FBI. I thought 'there's Davie's college money' and I took it and did the job." Tom says "Such a crime usually carries a 20 year sentence." David looks up crying. "And that will mean Davie will be 21 years old before he sees me again. What kind of man will he think I am when he's that age?" Tom sits back and gets a relaxed look on his face. "We're not with CIA Cybercrime. We're not here to arrest you." David says "What? Then why are you here?" Tom says "We're a part of a new CIA division. I cannot discuss the details here, but I can say this is an ambitious project that requires top-caliber personnel who will do anything to see the mission done. And guess what? We need a tech guy." David wipes the tears from his eyes. "You think I'm the guy for that job? I don't have a college degree..." Tom laughs. "I grew up in a town of less than 500 people in southern Missouri. After high school, I joined the local police instead of going off to college. I don't have a degree, Chris doesn't have a degree, heck Mike, do you have a degree?" Mike says "Yeah, a criminal justice degree from the local community college." Tom chuckles a bit, then looks back at David. "When it comes to picking my crew, I don't look for whether you got an A in college biology, I look for the skills that matter. Proficiency, drive, and a willingness to see the mission through no matter the cost. See, I could find another CIA suit to do the job, but most CIA people aren't willing to push the envelope like I usually do. You, on the other hand, there's no online door you won't kick in." David says "Well, Davie is the reason for that." Tom says "And Davie is the reason you don't want to go to jail. So, I'm here to make you the job offer. Instead of jail time, we want to bring you in and make you our operations technology specialist. Our boss can pull some strings to make sure you're not arrested for hacking into the FBI database. In exchange, you get to make a very solid living and come home every night to your son." David looks at his son in the eyes. Davie gives him a cute little giggle, which causes David to smile. "Ok, what do I have to do?" Tom says "Do you have a babysitter for Davie?" David says "Yeah, one of my hacker friends is a babysitter on the side. Promise you won't arrest her?" Tom gives a smile and says "Deal." We see Davie look over and giggle at Chris. Chris starts making funny faces. Tom just looks at him astonished. "Geez, in like a lion, out like a lamb." Chris looks over at Tom seriously. "Hey, I love kids." We end the scene with Davie continuing to giggle at Chris.

_**Edgewood, MD- near CIA Dark Cover**_

We next see the four in a car back near the entrance to Dark Cover in Maryland. David has a blindfold on in the back seat as he's seated next to Chris. Tom's driving and Mike is in the front passenger's seat. Tom says "Sorry for the blindfold and all, but until you're accepted into this team, we can't reveal our division's location." David laughs. "No, it's cool. It's like in Beverly Hills Ninja, when Chris Farley's character gets blindfolded and taken to a secret location." Chris looks at him weirdly as David keeps going. "He's gotta figure out the way there by the feel of bumps in the road and sounds he hears!" Tom says "Well, this isn't no awful mid-90's comedy, this road was recently paved, and the windows are basically soundproof." David says "That's ok. It's still cool." Tom pulls up to the concrete wall and hits a button on his visor. The hidden door opens up and the car drives in to the parking garage. Tom parks and the four get out of the car. David asks "Can I take off my blindfold yet?" Tom says "In a bit. Mike, make sure he walks with us and not into any walls." The four enter the elevator and head down. The elevator door opens and the four walk out into the Deep Cover lobby. At that point, Tom tells Mike "Ok, you can take the blindfold off." Mike does just that and we see David squint his eyes a few times before soaking in his surroundings. "Wow! This is cool! Kinda like Alec Trevelyan's secret Cuba base in Goldeneye!" Tom shakes his head asks David "Man, what is it with you and movies?" David says "I usually have a movie going when I'm doing my thing on the computer. Goldeneye is one of my favorites!" Chris says "Well, Tom, at least we have our movie trivia problem solved." Tom turns around and gives him a sarcastic look as we see Vandenburg start to walk towards them. "Ah! You must be David Marston!" David gives him a shy wave, but Vandenburg holds out his hand. David shakes it a little shyly. Vandenburg tells David "It's good to meet you. Thank you for coming down." David looks down. "Well, if you can do what Tom tells me you can do, I'll be the one thanking you, I guess." Vandenburg smiles. "I'll do what I can. Tom, show him to the interrogation room. James wants to ask him a few questions first. In the meantime, I'll see what I can do with CIA Cybercrime to secure David's employment here." David smiles as Tom, David, Mike, and Chris walk towards the interrogation room. The door opens and we see the interrogation room for the first time, which is just a basic room with a table in the middle, two video cameras in the front and back of the room, and two chairs, one at each side. David sits down on the chair willingly. Tom asks "Can we get you anything to drink? I think we have pretty much every soda imaginable here." David asks "Mountain Dew?" Tom says "Coming right up" and walks in through the side door. We see Tom walk up to a vending machine, hit a button for Mountain Dew, and we see a 20 ounce bottle dispensed. He walks back into the interrogation room, but this time, he sees James Lennox has entered. "Oh, James. I would have gotten you something if I knew you were gonna be here." James holds up his hand and grins. "No, that's not necessary. I was just wanting to see if I could have a chat with David here for a bit, unless you had something else planned." Tom puts the bottle of Mountain Dew in front of David, then looks at James. "Go for it. He really opens up when you start talking movie trivia with him." James looks at David and chuckles a bit. "I'm sure me and David will get along just fine." Tom says "I'll let you two at it. Chris, Mike, let's go see about filling the other slots on our team." Tom walks out the side door and Chris and Mike follow as James takes a seat across David. We see Tom quickly walk over to the op-tech room and turn on a small TV monitor. It's a camera feed of the interrogation room. There's no sound, and we see Tom looking around for a remote or a volume control. "Damn, no sound. I'll have David address that once he's settled in." Chris and Mike watch with Tom. Chris then asks "What do you want us to do?" Tom, looking intently at the video feed from the interrogation room, says "We need to fill five additional slots, and we need to fill them with men who know what they're doing. You know what I look for in my team members." Mike says "You said five, we need to fill 6." Tom turns to Mike. "Mike, I'm bringing Mitch back into the fold." Mike rolls his eyes. "Tom, Mitch screwed himself at Anti-Cartel, he's a liability." Tom gets an irritated look on his face. "He's also good in the pinch and he saved my life a few times when I was starting out. If I need a guy to fill in if I'm unavailable, I want him to be the guy. He's been doing this longer than any of us has and taught me everything he knows." Chris asks "You think James will sign off on him?" Tom nods. "Sure. The CIA record of Mitch Hayes is exemplary, save for that little hiccup. James will see that his removal from the Anti-Cartel was a crock of horsecrap. Besides, if what Mitch did was that bad, then why is he stashed away at Langley and not flipping burgers?" Mike says "Because he's a smart guy, so you put him on a desk instead of the field." Tom shakes his head. "Mike, I know you two didn't see eye to eye, but I need him." Mike hangs his head. "You're the boss." Tom shakes his head disappointed. "Mike, don't think like that. I wouldn't bring in Mitch unless I absolutely trusted him. He'll be an asset for us." Chris and Mike then leave as Tom returns to watching the monitor.

After a while, Tom sees James get up from his seat and start to walk towards the side door. Tom quickly turns off the monitor and walks over to another computer in the office. James walks in to the Storm Crew office to see Tom leaning over a computer, looking at things. Tom notices James looking at him. "Hey James, how did David do?" James says "Can I talk to you for a second?" Tom says "Sure, let's go in the op-tech room." Tom walks in and James follows him in. Tom closes the door and turns to James. "What's up?" James says "He can't join us." Tom gets a surprised look on his face. "Why not? He's a smart guy, he knows technology like the back of his..." James says "He'll be a liability in the field. He's got ADHD real bad and he's never shot a gun." Tom's face twists all confused. "Never shot a gun? HE'S AN OP-TECH GUY, why would an op-tech ever need to shoot a gun anyway?" James says "Come on, Tom. You know as well as I do that CIA operatives at least have basic weapons handling and tactical training before starting their job. And we're under a time crunch here, Vandenburg wants this place to kick off in three weeks, that's not enough time for him to get up to speed." Tom looks down and shakes his head. "James, I'll see to it personally that he gets that training as he goes along. He'll never leave this place on a mission until he gets that training. I'll see to it that all of his duties are confined to this office." James laughs. "Tom, it's not that simple. There are protocols to follow..." Tom then gets in James face angrily. "That man is starting at a 20 year minimum prison sentence. He's got a 1 year old son...DAMMIT!" Tom's eyes bug out angrily as he continues. "This is not a bad man! Do you really want to feed him to the Cybercrime wolves? Because if you tell him he can't join us, then we just can't let him walk, now can we? If you want to ruin this man's life and if you want to add another child to our sorry as shit foster care system, then be my guest." Tom then leans in closer to James's face and says sternly "When you do tell him, make sure to look him dead in the eyes when you do." James and Tom have a staredown before Tom backs off a bit. "James, if you give David the shaft today, just think when you have a son. Think about David sitting behind bars and his son in some foster home when you put your infant baby to sleep for the night. Tell me to my face right now that you'll be able to live with yourself." James looks down, but doesn't say anything. Tom, still breathing a bit heavy from his blow-up, storms out of the op-tech room. Chris and Mike notice he's angry as he walks by, but don't say anything at first. Then, we see Tom punch a vending machine. Chris finally asks "Tom, what is it?" Tom says "James is going to screw over David. He doesn't think he should join us because he's too green in combat and has some bullcrap psychiatrist-created cashcow handicap." Mike says "What? David won't ever be in combat..." Tom cuts him off. "NO SHIT! But, James wouldn't buy it. He's going to serve David on a silver..." Just as he says that, we see James come storming out of the op-tech room. He walks over to Tom and gets in his face. "Alright. I'll give Vandenburg the ok to bring David on, but he's your damn responsibility. You make sure he's able to be free for the training we ask him to go on." Tom looks at James seriously. "Deal. I promise he'll be an asset for us." James then turns around and walks towards the side door of the interrogation room. Tom then says "James, I knew you weren't a bad guy. Thanks for giving the kid a shot at being a father." James stops for a bit, then turns around and just gives Tom a somewhat terse nod before going into the room. Tom then sits down at his computer between Chris and Mike's. He lets out a deep breath, then says "Alright guys, what do we have so far?" We then see the three start to discuss things as the scene ends.

_**Baltimore, MD- Baltimore Washington Airport**_

At Baltimore Washington Airport the next day, we see Kate walk out of a plane tarmac. She spots Tom there and runs into his arms. They give each other a kiss. Tom says "Welcome to the east side. Any oaths we swore to Tupac are now moot, we're Puff Daddy's property now." Kate laughs and gives him a playful slap on the shoulder. "You're crazy!" Tom smiles and asks "How was the flight?" Kate sighs. "Boring. They played Cast Away first before playing Big Momma's House. Nice combo, huh?" Tom laughs as they both start walking away. At the luggage pickup, Kate tells Tom "The movers should have our stuff in a couple days. Did you find us a place?" Tom smiles. "A hotel for now, but my boss is setting us up in a temporary apartment soon." Kate's eyes open wide, then she looks and sees her bag. "That's awful nice of him!" Tom smiles. "Well, if you can get over the typical crackhouse smell, I'm told it's not bad." Kate picks up her bag, then gives Tom a look. "What?" Tom laughs. "Just kidding, but the apartment was a seizure by the Baltimore PD. It's in a nice neighborhood. In the meantime, while we wait for our stuff, I have us in a hotel." They walk out the exit to a parking garage. Kate looks like she's confused. "Aren't we going to get a taxi?" Tom smiles as he hits a keyless remote button. We see a black Cadillac from a distance light up as it unlocks. Kate looks surprised. Tom looks down at her. "Another perk of the job. This car is all mine, as long as I use it for work-related purposes." Kate nods her head. "Seems like they take care of their own over here." Tom thinks about that for a moment, remembering his time at the Anti-Cartel. "You couldn't be closer to the truth if you tried." Tom opens the trunk and Kate puts her luggage in it, then gets in the car. Tom joins her and turns on the car. Then he sits back for a bit and takes a deep breath. Kate notices. "What is it?" Tom looks over to Kate and smiles. "Kate, I think things here are going to work out just fine." Kate smiles back as Tom puts the car in reverse to leave.

_Note: To start the ending scene of the episode, I'd like to have The Kink's "Living on a Thin Line" playing._

Later that night, we see Tom walk into the lobby of Dark Cover. Tom takes a slow meandering stroll through the place, admiring his surroundings, which are mostly empty at the moment. Tom stops in the middle and just looks around. Eventually, we see Vandenburg walk out of his office and lock his door. He turns around to see Tom looking around. "Ah, did your wife get in ok?" Tom looks up and says "Yeah. Our stuff should be in from Los Angeles in a couple of days." Vandenburg says "Good. I was able to secure David Marston's employment here. I have a friend in that division who was rather disappointed that they didn't land him, but we worked it out." Tom smiles. "Good. Is James still here, I wanted to talk to him about David..." Vandenburg shakes his head. "No, he's gone for the day. Oh, stop by my office tomorrow, I'll show you your apartment." Tom nods his head, then goes back to looking at everything. Vandenburg walks down the stairs and towards the elevator. He looks at Tom to say something, but sees Tom just in his own world, so he starts to walk by him. Then he hears Tom says "Hey boss." Vandenburg stops and turns back. Tom stops what he was doing and turns to him smiling. "Thank you." Vandenburg smirks and turns away and start walking towards the elevator. "No, thank you, sir. I know you'll do well here. Have a good night." Tom watches Vandenburg walk away a bit, then turns to go into the Storm Crew office. He finds Chris and Mike still there. Chris turns around. "Hey boss. We have some candidates for you. Wanna go over them?" Tom looks at Mike, then back at Chris. "Chris, you've gotta be starving. And Mike, I know you could use a beer right about now." Chris and Mike both smile and nod their heads. We then see David walk out of the op-tech room smiling. Tom says "Ah, I almost forgot you were here too. Wanna grab a bite?" David says nothing as he walks up to Tom with his hand outstretched and a look on his face like he's about to tear up. Tom looks at him a little confused. "What's up?" David says "Thanks for sticking up for me. It's going to be nice watching Davie grow up, and I have you to thank for that. I'll always be in your debt." Tom gives a little chuckle, then shakes David's hand, then leans in and gives him a pound hug. "I always stand up for the good guys. Chris and Mike know this. I know you'll kick ass for us." Tom releases the pound hug and looks back at Chris and Mike, who get up to give a crying David a pat on the back. Tom asks David "You free tonight? We were going to go try to find us a bite to eat..." Tom looks at Chris. "...probably a place that serves top quality crab cakes." Chris laughs and looks at David. "When he says he looks out for us, he means it!" David laughs a bit, then looks down. "No, I better be getting back to Philly. I gotta pack up and move in to the apartment that Vandenburg showed me earlier today." Chris asks "You need help moving? I ain't got nothing planned tomorrow, my honey doesn't get into town for a couple days." David smiles and shakes his head. "Nah. I have some friends that will help. Thanks for the offer." Tom asks David "Did Vandenburg give you one of the cars out there?" David gets a wide grin. "Ooooh yeah!" Tom, Mike, and Chris laugh a bit. Tom says "Alright David, have a good night. I'll see you in a couple days." Tom, Chris, and Mike walk out as David gives them a wave. After they leave, we see David walk out of the office and admire the facility like Tom was just doing as the episode ends.

**NEXT: "A Fateful Encounter"**


	6. Chapter 3: A Fateful Encounter Part 1

**A FATEFUL ENCOUNTER PART 1**

**Day period of episode: June 2001 in opening scene, late July 2001 for the rest of the episode (Before Season 1 of Alias)**

_**Edgewood, MD**_

Since the last time we left it, CIA Dark Cover has become populated with employees. At least 30 people are in the main lobby area of the building, some out in the main floor, others in special offices. We then go into the Storm Crew office and we see 10 people have gathered around. Tom is standing in front of his computer holding a clipboard, flanked to his left by Chris and David and to his right by Mike and a man just a bit shorter than Tom with dark brown hair and a goatee. Tom looks out at the 5 men assembled. "Alright, roll call. Mitch Hayes..." The man standing next to Mike raises his hand. "Chris Cooper." Chris raises his hand. "Mike Walcott." Mike raises his hand and says "here". "David Marston." David raises his hand shyly. "Eddie Alvarez." We see a hispanic man with a shaved head and chin goatee raise his hand. "Jacob Jackson". A tall, lanky guy with black hair and a chinstrap beard raises his hand. "Charlie O'Doyle." A man with red hair, average height and a lean build raises his hand. "And Jerome Robinson." A black man about 6 feet tall and muscular build raises his hand. Tom continues. "Good. That's everyone. Welcome to Storm..." A very young blonde kid with a buzzcut, a little taller than Jerome but not as muscular, interrupts Tom. "Uh, you forgot about me." Tom looks at his clipboard. He flips up a page, but still looks confused. "Hmm...I don't see you on the list. How did you get in here?" The guy says "I'm Luke Winter, you guys recruited me from Langley to join..." Chris says "Whoa whoa, hold up, you came from Langley? Where did you get that name from, some awful spy show on TV?" Luke starts to stutter. "Well, uh..." Tom says "Well, uh...sounds like a guy who just got caught infiltrating a highly secret facility and is caught in a room full of lions." Luke then pulls a paper out of his back pocket. "No! I have my transfer order here, signed by my director and Vandenburg!" Luke hands Tom the paper. Tom looks at it, then starts rubbing his fingers. He holds up his hand to Mike. "Mike, look at this! They can't even make counterfeits good anymore. I got ink all over my fingers!" Mike shakes his head as Chris starts walking towards the vending machine area calmly. Tom shows the hand to Mitch. Mitch shakes his head. "Awful. This might be the most half-assed infiltration mission I've come across." Luke hangs his head. "I'm telling the truth! I was recruited to an elite tactical ops group within CIA Dark Cover, Harold Vandenburg was the director, James Lennox his #2, and Tom Falk would be the leader of the..." Tom lets out a "WHOA!" Luke stops suddenly. Tom says "How did you know my name? Who are you working for?" Luke says "Well, uh..." Tom rolls his eyes. "Here we go again with the 'well...uh's', IT'S A SIMPLE QUESTION!" Luke gets in Tom's face. "I WORK FOR YOU!" Tom steps back a bit. "Well, you know what I think about that?" Luke gets a worried look on his face as Tom continues to gaze at him. All of the sudden, we see Chris sneak up behind Luke and slam a whipped cream pie into Luke's face. The other team members, including Tom, start to laugh hysterically as we see Luke just standing there in shock with whipped cream dripping off of his face. Chris walks up to Tom and they give each other a fist bump as they both laugh at the prank. Tom stops laughing for a moment and reaches back into his computer chair and grabs a towel. He throws it at Luke, who catches it. Tom smiles and says "Alright, since he didn't lunge out and try to kill me or Chris...let it be known that Luke Winter has passed in his initiation!" The rest of the team claps and roars their approval. Meanwhile, outside the office, the rest of the staff at Dark Cover wonders what's going on. Back in the office, Luke starts wiping off whipped cream from his face as Tom pats him on his shoulder. "Welcome to Storm Crew! Your next order is to clean up in the bathroom, and get back out here so we can start getting to business!" Luke walks into the bathroom. Charlie, with a noticeable Irish accent, asks "Gotta break in the rookie, huh?" Tom starts to speak, but Mitch cuts him off. "What we did to Luke was tame compared to what we did to Tom when he started out at Anti-Cartel." Eddie asks "What did you do to Tom?" Mitch starts to speak, but this time Tom cuts him off. "HEY! We'll save that story for another day..." After a few seconds of awkward silence, Tom rolls his eyes and says "Ok, Mitch, tell them." Mitch gets a grin on his face. "Tom fell for the oldest trick in the book. When he started, we told him that he was getting a private office. Tom looked and saw a door and his eyes opened wide when he saw there was even a window with a view. So, we stood around as Tom opened the door...not even noticing the full bucket of grape juice that we had filled on top of the door. When he opened the door, the string pulled the bucket down, and Tom got his suit drenched!" The rest of the team laughs as Tom gets a somewhat embarrassed look. "That was the first suit I ever bought! And do you know how hard it is to get grape juice out of your clothes? My director chewed my ass out!" Mitch tells the group "Someone forgot to let the boss in on the gag! Still, the look on his face was priceless!" At this point, Luke walks out of the bathroom with still a couple spots of whipped cream on his face. He walks over to the rest of the team as James Lennox walks in the main entrance. James stands next to Tom and looks out over the crew. "Hey guys, I'm James Lennox, the associate director of CIA Dark Cover. You were all handpicked to be a part of...an..." James looks over at Luke and notices some spots of whipped cream on his face. "Luke, right?" Luke, a little nervous, says "Yeah?" James makes a hand motion over his face. "Just get done shaving?" The whole team laughs a bit, confusing James. Chris then hands James a now-empty pie dish. James looks at the pie dish, then at Luke, who just gives him a sheepish headnod. James gets a smile on his face. "A little rookie hazing, huh?" Tom, laughing a bit, says "You should have seen the look on his face right before Chris smushed him with the pie! I had him going!" James laughs a bit, then composes himself. "Glad to see everyone's getting along! Anyway, as I was saying before, welcome to CIA Dark Cover's elite tactical unit: Storm Crew. This team was handpicked to take on the tough missions that we'll be encountering. You'll also be dealing with some strange science, as your primary goal will be infiltrating an up and coming terrorist group called the Covenant. They started out as a loose group of former Russian KGB, but lately, they've been funding their Special Sciences division heavily. Based on the intel I've been gathering on them for must of the past year, they're doing some things to their test subjects that, depending on who you are, are either revolutionary or downright brutal." Tom picks up from James. "Guys like James and his wife Emma have been spying on them for some time, but now, it's getting to the point where some hands need to get dirty, and they didn't want just anyone for this group. Now, as James warned you, this is not a job for the squeamish or the weak-willed. I handpicked you all because you all have shown some serious backbone in your professional lives as well as proficiency and a desire to see the job done. Now, if any one of you has a problem with what we're doing, you can leave and you will not be considered a coward." Everyone in the room looks at each other, but none take Tom up on his offer. James tells the group "Alright, everyone, get settled in, get comfortable with the place and your computers. Tomorrow, you'll get your first assignment." Tom gets a wide grin on his face. "Boys, school is now in session!"

**Play theme**: youtube dot com /watch?v=22Vz-ngNomA

**Flash to late July 2001**

_**Edgewood, MD**_

Back in the Storm Crew office, we see the team assembled in the office at their computers. James is standing next to the projector to the left while David is off to the right. James starts the conversation. "Guys, because of your work the past couple weeks, we've been able to locate the location of Doctor Gregory Simonich." We see James hit a button and we see a map of Argentina. "Good news is, we know his EXACT location. Bad news, he's being held for ransom by an Argentinian gang called Los Conquistadores." Tom tells the group "I dealt with those guys when they were a minor league outfit a year ago in the Anti-Cartel. They did small time stuff: drug dealing and weapons mostly. But, it seems to me their new leadership is a little more aggressive with improving their bottom line." James says "They've been successful in their past ransom attempts. They've netted hundreds of thousand dollars for local lawmakers and celebrities they've captured." Tom cuts him off. "But, the main problem with even the best thieves in the world is that they get too greedy. And in the ransom business, eventually you're going to take someone that's going to piss some people off that you really don't want to get on the bad side of. Well, the Covenant wants this guy bad." Eddie asks "What is this guy's specialty?" James says "DNA." Tom says "More importantly, he's probably read one too many X-Men comics and is trying to turn people into mutants." James says "We've seen his test subjects injected with fish, bear, tiger, even lizard DNA in an attempt to get them to gain those animal characteristics. More often than not, the person dies because of blood disease. But, lately, he's been making progress." Jerome asks "So, if this guy is eastern European..." Tom says "Ukranian, to be precise." Jerome continues. "So, why was this Ukranian in Argentina?" James says "Ironically, he was trying to HIDE from the Covenant." Mike chuckles a bit and says "Oops!" James says "Well, we know that the Covenant wants him, and they're not about to throw money at a fledgling gang. They're going to take him by force and the Conquistadores will probably kill him if they're attacked so they can just cut their losses and move on. So, that leaves us as his only guardian angels. Tom, you and three others will head to Buenos Aires. Two agents from Argentine Intelligence will eventually join you." Tom looks a little surprised. "Eventually?" James says "They're stretched pretty thin, but they do have two agents that have been specifically following the Conquistadores." Tom says "So, our mission is to EVENTUALLY rendezvous with these agents and break the good doctor out of Conquistadorian captivity." James says "Pretty much. Now, when you get back, we need to discuss something else. We're breaking Storm Crew into two units." Everyone looks at each other suspiciously. Tom asks "You're splitting us up already?" James says "No, no, no! You all will still be here, but we want to have two teams that we can send out when needed. There's no way we're going to send out all 9 of our field operatives for every mission. But, the reason your team is so big is because we can be in two places at once. But, for this mission, Tom, you can pick who you want. Good luck, everybody." James walks out of the room as Tom takes his spot near the projector. "Mitch, Mike, you're in." Both of them give their nods of approval. "Chris...hang back here. You've been gathering intel on the Covenant operation in southern Europe and you're making some real headway. You're going to sit on the sidelines for this one, but I want you to get the rest of the team involved in what you're doing." Chris looks a little disappointed, but nods his head. "That's cool, man. I can teach these guys a thing or two!" Tom laughs a bit, then looks over to the new guys. "Ok, we need a fourth guy. Luke, work closely with Chris back here. Jacob, Charlie, Jerome, Eddie...if any of you four have been to Argentina before, raise your hand." Only Eddie raises his hand. Tom points at Eddie. "Eddie Alvarez, you've just earned a trip to Buenos Aires! Congratulations!" Eddie says "Yes! I never win anything!" Tom looks over at David. "David, use your computer witchcraft to get us schematics of the building James says the doc is in. Luke, help gather up the intel we need before we leave. When you're done with that, and this goes for the rest of you too, do what Chris tells you to do back here." As he says that, Vandenburg walks in to the room. Everyone stops what they're doing to look at him. "Gentlemen, I just wanted to wish you all the best of luck in our first official tactical mission. Tom, I've secured a private plane for your travel to Argentina as well as accommodations in Buenos Aires. I'm sure you will be satisfied. Who's the team?" Tom says "Mike, Mitch, Eddie, and myself. Chris will run things here in the office in my stead." Vandenburg looks at all four men and smiles. "Ah, the maiden voyage of Storm Crew. Well, I'm not going to waste any more of your time here. Good luck in Argentina. Like General Maximus said frequently in Gladiator...strength and honor!" Tom, Eddie, Mike, and Mitch look at each other a bit, then reply at the same time "Strength and honor!" Vandenburg walks out of the room. Eddie thens says "Is it just me, or is Vandenburg kind of a dork?" David pipes in "Hey, I kind of like that for our motto." Mike looks at David funny. "Are you kidding? We're Storm Crew, not the Dork Crew." Chris stands up. "Don't get on David, Mike! He's right! It's perfect for us!" Tom turns to the entire team. "Ok, guys, we have to settle this once and for all, right now. Shall our team motto be 'Strength and Honor?'" We see David, Chris, Jacob, Luke, and Charlie raise their hands in the affirmative. Tom then raises his hand, much to the chagrin of Mike, Mitch, Jerome, and Eddie. Tom says "It's not a bad motto to have. Plus, I like Gladiator. Very well, it stands."

_**Towson, MD- Tom's apartment**_

Back at Tom's apartment, we see him start to pack a luggage. Kate is standing at the bedroom door, leaning and watching Tom do his thing. Tom notices. "What is it, babe?" Kate rolls her eyes. "I've seen this before." Tom shakes his head. "This isn't another deep cover mission. Just some training that the PD wants me to do if they want me to go undercover for them." Kate asks "Where is it?" Tom says "Fort Detrick, over in Frederick." Kate looks at Tom funny. "You can drive to and from there from here." Tom shakes his head. "No, they want me to stay on site for a couple days." Kate looks down, thinking. As Tom zips up his luggage, Kate looks up to ask Tom "Tom...I need to talk to you about something..." Tom stops what he's doing and looks at her. "What? What is it?" Kate says "I know you've been pushing this back and back, but I really want to have a child." Tom looks down. "Kate, we've been over this. I want to BE THERE for my child, and I'm only a few years away from retiring early on my savings. That's why we've been living on the cheap all this time, so I don't have to keep doing this. I'll get my pension and we'll have our savings and maybe, when I'm in my late 30's, I can retire and have that child with you." Kates gets up and looks away. "Look, I sit home here all day and I don't do a damn thing! I'll raise our kid!" Tom stands up angrily. "No! I'm not going to be an absentee father like MY dad was. Our child deserves better than that." Kate screams back "You're not a drunk loser like he was!" Tom flashes Kate a really angry look. Kate then realizes what she said. "Tom, I'm so sorry...I didn't mean..." Tom grabs his luggage and walks out angrily, not saying anything. He walks out the front door and Kate runs after him. "Tom! I'm so sorry!" Tom stops on the steps and looks back. "It's ok, Kate. We'll talk about this after I get back." Kate lets out a small smile. "I love you!" Tom mutters "I love you too". He then walks out to his car, still a little irritated.

_**Somewhere over the Gulf of Mexico**_

On the plane, Tom is going over the mission details with the other three. "Looks like our Argentine Intelligence friends are going to be late to the party, so we need to see if we can possibly get in there and extract Simonich ourselves." Mitch says "Might be too risky, given the schematics of the place." Mitch unrolls a blueprint. "According to the layout, it's surrounded by a concrete wall with just one way in." Mitch then lays out some pictures. "According to these shots, it's also very well guarded." Tom looks at one of the pictures. "See that building over there?" Tom points out to what looks like an abandoned house in the woods overlooking the compound. "Eddie, you still handy with a sniper rifle?" Eddie smiles. "Man, you know that from my report. I'm elite, man." Tom smiles back. "Just making sure. Eddie, I want you to perch up there with a sniper rifle. I don't expect you to shoot, but as you're looking in, give us updates on what you see." Eddie nods as Mitch asks Tom "So, we are infiltrating this place?" Tom shakes his head. "No, we're just checking it out or now, looking for weak points in the outer perimeter." Mike asks "What should me and Mitch do?" Tom looks at Mike. "We'll stick together and circle the perimeter. It's imperative that we KEEP QUIET. If we're caught, there's going to be an army on our ass. If we get into a pickle, rendezvous at Eddie's building. Eddie, be ready to cover us. Got it?" The three others nod their heads. Tom gets up and walks to a refrigerator, where he discovers various drinks. "We got beer, soda, water...you guys thirsty?" Mike says "I'll take a cold one!" Mitch says "Me too!" Eddie says "Cerveza, por favor." Tom looks at Eddie. "Showoff!" Eddie laughs as Tom gets four beers. He hands the beers to the other three and holds his up in the air. "Guys, let's make a toast...to the debut of a tactical group that will go down in CIA history as one of the most dominant forces to ever work in intelligence. Let's set the bar for everyone else that follows us." Tom holds out his beer in the middle of the table. "Strength and honor, guys." The other three look at each other for a bit. Mike then smiles a bit touches Tom's bottle with his. "Strength and honor." Eddie puts his bottle out there. "Strength and honor!". This leaves Mitch to reluctantly touch his bottle with the other three and repeat the motto. "Ok, strength and honor." The four then take a drink as the scene ends.

_**Buenos Aires- Outside the Conquistadore compound**_

In Buenos Aires, we see it's showtime. They team is at the compound. We see a group of five men guarding a secure gate as well as others patrolling the grounds inside. Over at the abandoned building, we see Eddie on top of the roof in full camo and Tom, Mike, and Mitch are under him on the ground. Tom puts a finger to his ear. "Eddie, can you hear me?" We hear through the earpiece "Loud and clear, amigo." Tom turns to Mike and Mitch, who give him a thumbs up. Eddie, already looking through the telescopic sight on his rifle, says "You're clear to go down the left side. I'll let you know if anyone approaches as best I can." The other three start down the left side, which is wooded. We see the three walk very slowly along the edge of the wall. At the end of the wall, Tom holds up his hand to stop Mitch and Mike. We see Tom pull out a small rod that has an angled mirror attached to the end of it. He extends it out. After looking at it for a bit, he looks back at the other two and gives them the motion to proceed. On this side of the compound, we see a steep dropoff not too far to the left of the men. We see Tom touch his ear and whispers "Ok, Eddie, nothing impregnable that we've found so far. Any activity you can see?" We hear Eddie say "No. Business as usual." The three get to the end of the wall and Tom commands the other two to stop again. Tom then sticks out his long mirror to see what's on the other side. Again, nothing, but this side isn't as wooded as the side they originally came from. Tom gives the other two the motion to go. But, as Mike takes a step, he ends up stepping on a twig. It snaps loudly and we see him cringe a bit. Tom stops dead in his tracks and freezes. Then, through the earpiece, we hear Eddie yelling. "I don't know what you just did, but they're heading your way! Get out of there!" Tom, Mike, and Mitch start running to their rendezvous point. Eddie, still perched on the roof notices three men start to head from the front gate. Eddie snipes one of them down, then another. The third man of the group stops to tend to one of the men down. We hear him yell "JUNIOR! THEY KILLED JUNIOR! BOSS IS GONNA KILL US!" Eddie then drops down from the roof and into a car parked next to the building. He sees Tom, Chris, and Mitch turn the corner and break for their car. The four hop in the car as their tails turn the corner themselves. Eddie steps on the gas and peels out of there and heads down the rural road.

In the car, Mitch gives Mike a slap on the back of the head. "You freaking idiot!" Mike holds his head and says "What the hell, you little sh...!" Tom turns around from the front passenger seat. "ENOUGH, MITCH! It was an honest mistake. Besides, we now know what we're up against." Eddie says "Yeah, a gang of angry men who will cover that perimeter like a glove covers a hand, man!" Tom leans back in his seat and has a pained look on his face, the kind of look you get after you just screwed up royally. Eddie then says "I got two of them, and I think one of them might have been important." Tom looks over at Eddie as Mitch and Mike lean in a bit. Tom asks "What do you mean?" Eddie says "There were three men coming from the main entrance. I shot one, then the other, and the third man stopped his progress to tend to the second man. He screamed out the guy's name...Junior and looked more worried about him than us! He must have been important." Tom cracks a cocky grin and says "This could work to our advantage. We need to know who that guy is." Mitch screams "HOW? We just unzipped our fly out there, they know there was someone snooping around..." Tom says "If this guy was a high-ranking gang member, then news of his death will travel fast. The entire gang will be in mourning." Tom pats Eddie on the shoulder. "Good shooting." Eddie, still looking a bit exasperated as he drives out of there, says "Thanks." Tom looks back at Mitch and Mike. "Let's just get to our hotel, and I guess we'll wait for our Argentine Intelligence friends. Let's not leave the hotel, if any of them got a good look at us, it's probably better to lay low, at least for a while." Mitch and Mike ease back into their seats, as does Tom as Eddie continues to drive.

At the hotel room, everyone there looks a little on edge. Tom looks at his team. "Guys, this isn't the first pickle we've been in. Maybe you Eddie, but me, Mitch, and Mike have been through some real hair-raisers in the past." Mitch stands up. "That's fine and all, but what we did today was stupid. I knew it when you brought the idea up. All it took was one snap of a twig to blow it." Tom looks at Mitch in the eyes. "This doctor might not have much time. If our Argentine friends never show up and this guy gets capped, then we just blew our mission." Mitch screams "WE JUST BLEW IT NOW!" Tom screams back "NO WE DIDN'T! We had to see if we could do it ourselves and give him a chance." Mike gets between the two. "Calm down guys, this was my fault." Mitch walks to the bathroom in a huff. Tom puts his hand on Mike's shoulder. "Mike, it was an honest mistake. Don't worry about it. Maybe Mitch was right..." Mike says "Nah, don't second guess yourself. We did get two men, thanks to Eddie." Eddie, sitting on the bed, just shrugs a bit. Tom looks at Eddie. "No, you're right. Eddie, killing that guy might have just saved our bacon." Mitch walks back out of the bathroom, hearing what Tom said. "And how the hell is infuriating the Conquistadores going to help us?" Tom looks at Mitch. "They're going to have a big funeral for this guy, much of the gang will be expected to attend. I'm sure some of the guys stationed at the compound will have to attend. Their defense will be weaker!" Mitch shakes his head. "Yeah, but we're still going to be outnumbered, no matter what help we get from the Argentine Intelligence guys." Tom gets a cocky smirk. "Oh no we won't." Mike gives Tom a strange look. "What kind of math gives you that idea? It'll take a miracle for us to match up with them numbers-wise." Tom looks at Mike. "You ask for miracles, I give you two words: Hector Villejas." Mike's eyes open wide, as does Mitch's. Mitch says "What about that slimebag?" Tom turns back to Mitch. "Hector Villejas is the leader of the Los Magistrados, the biggest gang in Argentina. We dealt with him a few years ago, remember?" Mitch and Mike look at each other, then Mike says "Yeah, we worked out a deal with him to eliminate another up and coming gang." Tom nods his head. "Yeah, the Buenos Aires Carnicerias. He was grateful for our help and the CIA was grateful because we shut down a gang that was shipping out weapons to Saddam Hussein and Kim Jong-Il." Mitch shakes his head. "I remember our director at the time was none to happy to see you consorting with Villejas." Tom rolls his eyes. "How do you think we closed up all those gangs in El Salvador? Panama? Bolivia? We let the dogs kill themselves while we swoop in for the victory. Villejas is a control freak, and if I know him right, I'm willing to bet that he wants to put the Conquistadores out of business." Mitch looks at Tom and folds his arms. "So, what's the plan?" At that point, we hear Tom's cell phone go off. He looks down and sees it's James Lennox. Tom answers. "James, how are things..." An agitated James, back at Dark Cover, cuts him off. "You tell me!" Tom looks confused. "What do you mean by that?" James says "I mean what are you doing killing high ranking Conquistadores?" Tom looks at Eddie and grins. "Well, we wanted to scout the place out and..." Tom looks over at Mike. "...I stepped on a twig and all hell broke loose. Eddie was in sniper position and took out two of their guys, including a guy he thought was important. We got out of dodge unharmed." James, still agitated, says "Well, that guy Eddie got was Armando Santino Junior, the son of the leader of the Conquistadores...Armando Santino Senior! They're going to send hit crews on your ass before you know it!" Tom says "Settle down, James. Look, do you know if they've set a funeral for the guy yet?" James looks confused. "Yeah, it's going to be tomorrow at noon. Why, do you want us to send flowers?" Tom says "NO! Their compound will have their defenses weak as gang members will want to be at the funeral. We'll attack then." James throws his hand up. "WITH WHAT?" Tom thinks for a second, then says "We'll ask Argentine Intelligence for man aid." James shakes his head. "Tom, they can't spare anyone. They just now got the two agents that are going to help you freed up for a meet tonight at the hotel cantina." Tom, seeing as that lie didn't work, then walks over to the window and looks out at the city. "A few years ago, when me, Mitch, and Mike were in the Anti-Cartel, we helped the Los Magistrados eliminate the Buenos Aires Carnicerias. The Carns were sending weapons to notorious dictators and the CIA wanted them stopped. So, we stopped them, and I know the Mags leader was VERY happy for our intel." James asks "So, you're going to hope the Mags leader sends men again to invade the Conquistadores compound?" Tom shakes his head. "Hope? No, I KNOW he will. He's a control freak in charge of the bulk of illegal activity in Argentina. He's not one to ruffle American feathers, he's smarter than to act desperate like these up and comers. He doesn't want competition, and I know he'll remember us from before. I'll ask him for the man power to infiltrate the compound during Junior's funeral while us four and the two Argentine agents sneak in the back to rescue the doctor." James thinks about it for a bit, then sighs. "Let me know if he goes for it. Anyway, the meet will be tonight down in the hotel cantina. 7 PM your time. Your contact will be Pedro Colon and his partner, who's apparently still in training." Tom sighs. "Great, so we're really getting one and a half agents." James says "No, he vouched for her. She's been with him a couple years and is apparently due for a promotion." Tom, not convinced, says "Fine. I'll keep you up to date." Tom then hangs up the phone and looks at his team. Mitch asks "What's this about one and a half agents that the Argentinians will be providing?" Tom smirks. "It's an agent and his training partner. Apparently, he was really adamant that she come along and wouldn't be a liability. We'll find out tonight at 7 in the hotel cantina downstairs. In the mean time, guys, clean up, put on some fresh clothes, and just chill out for a while." Tom then heads to the bathroom, leaving the other three still feeling a little uneasy.

Down in the cantina, the four are sitting up in a corner booth. There's a jukebox playing on the other side of the cantina, near the entrance. To their right is the bar, and set up throughout the bar are tables and booths. A good crowd is at the cantina, some to enjoy the music, some to enjoy each other, or some to just drink. Tom looks down at his watch and it shows 7 PM. Just as he looks up, he notices a tall, lanky latino man walking their way. The man looks like he's balding with silver flecks in his hair. He walks up to their table. "Which one of you is Tom Falk?" Mike, sitting to the opposite side of Tom on the aisle, stands up quickly and gets in his face. "Who's asking?" The man looks at him and smiles. "Relax, I'm Pedro Colon, I'm with Argentine Intelligence." Tom then looks at Mike. "Have a seat, Mike." Tom stands up and shakes Pedro's hand. "I'm Tom Falk. The man who you just met is Mike Walcott. To the right of him is Mitch Hayes, and to the right of him is Eddie Alvarez." Pedro shakes everyone's hand, even Mike's. Mike slides down to let Pedro sit next to him. Tom looks around a bit. "Where's your partner?" Pedro says "Oh, she'll be here in a bit. She's checking out the place, making sure we don't have any...unfortunate guests." Mitch flashes Tom a glare, which he notices. Tom then turns back to Pedro with a cocky smirk. "I take it you heard about our encounter with the Conquistadores earlier today?" Pedro chuckles. "I heard you had a penchant for taking risks, but that one takes the cake." Tom shakes his head. "And that risk worked." Pedro looks confused. "How? You got the Conquistadores mad, they know you're here, and Armando Junior is dead!" Tom lets out a cocky grin. "Exactly, their number two is dead. And junior's funeral will be tomorrow at noon, I just found that out earlier. That's when we attack." Pedro leans back a bit. "You think the place will be empty? There will still be..." Tom cuts him off "...a decent force there, I know. But we needed to make the odds easier. Plus, we'll have them outnumbered anyway." Pedro looks at Tom quizzically. "How do you figure that? It's just us six going in." Tom shakes his head. "No it won't. Anyway, I'll wait for your partner. In the meantime, you want a drink?" Pedro, a little exacerbated, says "I need a beer." Tom looks over at the rest of the team. "Beer, guys?" The three others nod their heads. "Ok, I'll go to the bar, I'll be right back." Tom gets up and goes over to the bar. It's a busy bar that night as we see Tom squeeze in to an open spot. Tom holds out his hand to get the bartender's attention, but with little luck. As he's trying to flag down the bartender, we see a woman with medium-long black hair walk up to the corner booth. We see Mitch point out Tom at the bar. Back at the bar, Tom yells out. "Hey, como esta? Cinco cervezas, por favor!" The bartender doesn't take notice as he continues to fill someone else's drink. Tom looks away to the right in disgust, then looks back left. This time, he sees that woman that walked up to his table has squeezed in front of him and is trying to get the bartender's attention. Tom leans in with the woman's back still turned to him. "Good luck, he won't notice you." The woman then screams "Victor!" The bartender looks up, then waves at the woman. Tom rolls his eyes. We see Victor walk up and ask the woman what she wants. With her face still not shown to Tom, she says "Un mojito, por favor, y todo lo que este hombre quiere. (Rough Spanish translation_: "One mojito, please, and whatever this guy wants")_ Tom smiles and says "Thanks!" He turns to the barkeeper. "Cinco cervezas, por favor." (_Five beers, please)_ Tom looks down at the woman, who's looking at a soccer game on a tv monitor off to the left. "Thanks for getting his attention. I'll buy your drink." The woman shakes her head, still watching what's on the monitor. "Don't worry, I'll get your drinks." Tom looks a little surprised. "I didn't know the women bought drinks for the men in this country." The woman, still watching the TV says "No, I'll put it on Argentine Intelligence's tab here." Tom looks surprised. "So, you're Pedro's partner?" The woman then turns to look at him and for the first time, we see her face...and it's a familiar one. "Nice to meet you. I'm Nadia Santos." We see Tom look like he's seen a ghost as the episode ends.

**TO BE CONTINUED...**


	7. Chapter 4: A Fateful Encounter Part 2

**A FATEFUL ENCOUNTER PART 2**

**Day period for episode: still late July 2001 (Before Season 1 of Alias)**

_**Buenos Aires**_

Back at the cantina, we pick up at Tom's shocked face. Nadia looks at Tom for a second a little strangely, then asks "Are you ok?" Tom suddenly exhales and flashes Nadia a startled smile. "Sorry...I just wasn't expecting someone like...uh..." Nadia looks a little offended. "Like what, a woman?" Tom shakes his head quickly. "Oh no! I meant...uh...I wasn't expecting someone as pretty as you! Most female agents I've run into are more manly." Nadia thinks for a moment, then laughs. "I get it. And thanks!" Tom and Nadia look into each other's eyes for a little while before they're interrupted by the bartender. "Your mojito and cervezas." Tom and Nadia both look at the bartender and say "thanks" at the same time. The fact they did that at the same time forces them to look at each other again curiously. Then, Nadia grabs two beers and her mojito. "You get the other three..." Nadia walks away as we see Tom look at her for a bit, then grab his beers. As Tom is walking over, we see Nadia hand beers to Mike and Pedro and keep the mojito for herself. Tom, still rattled, gets to the table and hands beers over to Mitch and Eddie, then sets his beer at his spot. Nadia takes her seat, but notices Tom sort of hunched over. "You alright?" Tom looks at Nadia. "Excuse me..." Tom makes a beeline for the bathroom next to the bar. Eddie, Pedro, Mitch and Mike look at Tom strangely. Nadia looks away from the table, thinks for a while, and then smiles, but doesn't say anything. Mike says "I'll go check up on him." Pedro and Nadia get up to let Mike out. Mike walks to the bathroom and sees Tom splashing water on his face. Mike asks "What the hell is going on?" Tom quickly checks the stall next to him and then reaches over and locks the bathroom door. "That girl that Pedro is with..." Mike, waiting him for him to answer, says "...and what about her?" Tom says "When she turned around and made eye contact...something...happened." Mike asks "What do you mean?" Tom goes back to looking at the sink. "We didn't eat anything since we got to Argentina, right?" Mike says "No..." Tom then says "And we've been drinking nothing but bottled water since we got here, for safety..." Mike says "What are you saying?" Tom says "I feel like I've been drugged somehow, like my hormones just exploded when she turned and faced me." Mike rolls his eyes and looks distraught. "What the hell, Tom? You've got the hots for that girl?" Tom shakes his head. "Mike, come on, you know me better than that. I have a wife and I've never betrayed her and I'm not about to start now." Mike nods his head. "I know..." Tom looks up at Mike. "I mean...I've looked at a beautiful woman before, but I could contain myself with no problem whatsoever. This time was different. She didn't even look at me seductively...just made eye contact...and I...it was _weird_..." Mike pats Tom on the back. "I'll go tell them that you had a bit of indigestion." Tom pats Mike on the back. "Thanks bud. I'll be out in a bit." Mike walks out as we see Tom look in the mirror, still befuddled at what went down before.

A little later, we see Tom walk out of the bathroom, looking much better than before. As he gets to the table, Pedro asks "You alright, man?" Tom looks at Pedro and laughs, then looks at Nadia, who has a curious look on her face. Then Tom looks back at Pedro. "Yeah, I forgot you can't trust every food vendor you run into here. Just a little indigestion is all." Pedro laughs. "Ah, foreigners." Tom, sitting down, says "Oh no, I've been here before. Just had a moment of weakness when I smelled something cooking." Nadia says "Well, thankfully it wasn't anything else." Tom looks at Nadia for a second and smiles. "Yeah." Tom then looks over at the group. "Well, we're all gathered now, so we can start talking about our plan." Pedro leans over to Nadia. "He tried to scope out the Conquistadores compound earlier today and things..." Tom cuts him off. "...didn't go according to plan, I know. But, my man Eddie..." Tom points to Eddie on his left. "...sniped Armando Santino Junior. His funeral is tomorrow at noon, and the compound will be less guarded as the gang attends his funeral." Nadia shakes her head. "We'll still be..." Tom cuts her off. "...outnumbered. Yeah, your partner said the same thing. That's where the Los Magistrados come in." Pedro and Nadia both look shocked at that comment. Pedro leans forward infuriated. "Los Mags? Are you insane? Why would they ever agree to help you!" Tom leans forward and looks serious. "As you probably know, the Buenos Aires Carnicerias were shut down a few years ago by the Los Mags and a small group of CIA agents. Guess who those agents were?" Pedro leans back. "Ahh...I see. So, you know Hector Villejas, huh?" Tom smiles. "Better than you might think. Last I checked, Los Mags were still the big dogs in Argentina." Nadia asks "Why do you work WITH them instead of going after them?" Tom looks at Nadia and grins. "A fair question. Villejas is a smart guy. He knows that he's on top, and he doesn't need to do risky things for capital like shipping weapons to dictators or holding important people for ransom. But, if there is one thing I know about him, I know that he doesn't like competition. What I don't know is if HE knows there will be a golden opportunity for him to cut the head off the Conquistadore snake tomorrow." Pedro leans back and doesn't appear sold, but Nadia still looks intrigued and asks. "What's your plan?" Tom says "I'll make contact with him tonight. I still remember the protocol. I'll talk with him face to face, present him with the facts, and get him to supply troops to raid the facility tomorrow. Meanwhile, we'll sneak in amongst the troops and get our doctor. Villejas will be happy because he'll have captured their home base, Argentine Intelligence will be happy with one less gang in business, and we'll be happy because we'll have gotten our doctor." Pedro laughs a bit, then leans back forward. "Tom, if you get Villejas to supply you with ground forces, and this all works out as you planned, then I'll make sure your boss gets a glowing commendation of you and your crew." Tom leans back and looks at Pedro. "You don't think I can do it?" Pedro says "I didn't say that. I'll just believe it when I see it." Tom smirks, then looks at Nadia, then back at Pedro. "Tell you what, you give me that commendation when this is all done, and I'll see about giving your director a glowing report of your training partner here. I understand she's about ready for a bump." Nadia laughs. "Yeah, finally!" Pedro looks at her a little amused, then back at Tom. "We have a deal. When are you going to contact Villejas?" Tom says "After I finish this beer. I'll go alone." Nadia then nonchalantly slides her empty glass over to Tom. "And after you buy me a drink to replace that one." Mitch, Mike and Eddie each look at Nadia, and then Tom a little funny. Tom, not noticing them, says "I thought you said your agency had a tab here?" Nadia leans forward with a cocky smile. "Well, you were right at the bar. The women don't buy the drinks for the men. It's the other way around." Tom looks at her with a bit of a smirk, then looks at the rest of the group. "Anyone else's drinks running empty?" The rest of the table slides their bottles towards Tom mockingly. Nadia laughs. Tom just looks at everyone shaking his head. "Damn vultures..." Tom gets up and walks out to the bar. This time, the bartender remembers him and takes his order. Tom walks back with a tray full of drinks. He takes each beer down one at a time and slides them towards their recipients, then takes Nadia's mojito and looks at it. Nadia asks "What is it?" Tom looks at Nadia. "It'd be a shame if I suddenly dropped this..." Nadia gets up quickly and grabs the drink. "DON'T YOU DARE!" Tom chuckles a bit as Nadia takes a sip. He then sets down the tray at his seat, grabs his beer, and chugs the rest. Nadia asks "In a hurry?" Tom sets down the empty bottle and slides it at her. "I'm going to see Villejas before I get shaken down again!" Nadia just smiles and shakes her head as Pedro takes a drink. Tom looks at the rest of his team. "Mike, Mitch, Eddie...meet me at the hotel room. Pedro, what's your cell number? I'll call you and let you know if Villejas is in or not." Pedro pulls out a business card and hands it to Tom. Tom looks at it, then puts it in his pocket. "Look forward to working with you..." Tom then veers his gaze at Nadia and looks at her with a suspicious smirk. "...and you too...I think." Nadia picks up her drink, sips on it, and then closes her eyes and says "Ahh! Likewise!" Tom just gives her a little smile, then shakes his head as he walks away.

**Play theme**: youtube dot com /watch?v=22Vz-ngNomA

_**Buenos Aires- Magistrados cantina**_

We see Tom walk into another cantina, this time in a less than savory neighborhood. Tom surveys his surroundings for a bit, which is nothing but Magistrados gang bangers and whatever female tail they have with them or whatever card game they have going. Tom then looks forward and sees a man guarding a doorway. Tom strolls right up to the man. The man asks "This area is restricted." Tom smirks. "Not for old friends of Hector Villejas it's not." Some of the Mags in the cantina turn to give him a look, but the man looks unamused. "What would he want with a guy like you?" Tom tells the man "Go to Hector. Tell him...the Falcon is back, and he's bearing a mighty gift." The man walks into the door. As he's in there, Tom takes a look at some of the gangbangers that are starting to get awfully curious about his visit to the cantina. Tom just looks at them all with a cocky smirk until the doorman comes back out. "I have to check you for weapons." Tom spreads his arms out and his legs wide. "Go ahead. I've got nothing to hide." The man gives him a thorough patdown. Satisfied, the man opens the door. "Hector will see you now."

_**Buenos Aires- Hotel cantina**_

Back at the hotel cantina, Mike, Mitch, and Eddie say their goodbyes to Pedro and Nadia. After they walk out, Mitch turns to Mike. "What the hell is going on with Tom, flirting with that agent?" Mike shakes his head. "Mitch, he'd never cheat on Kate..." Mitch cuts him off angrily. "I don't care about that! I care about Tom having his head in the mission!" Eddie looks at Mike. "I'm with Mitch. I don't like this." Mike says to the both of them "Tom will be there for us. If he was that torn up about Nadia, you think he'd have made it a point to rush out like that to make contact with Villejas?" Mitch smirks. "Tommy Patriot...running away from a problem before it consumes him. Yeah, like that hasn't happened before." Mike throws his hands up in disgust, but Eddie asks "What do you mean?" Mitch looks at Eddie. "His grandparents raised him and when his grandmother died, he hit the bottle hard." Eddie shrugs. "Who hasn't gone on a bender over something bad that happened? I did that when my sister got gunned down over a gang misunderstanding when I was a teen, man. You can't indict a man for that." Mike, looking relieved, says "Thank you, Eddie. Besides, Tom took the time off and didn't let it affect his work." Mitch looks unsatisfied. "When he gets back, we need to make sure he's got his head screwed on right. I'm not going to risk my life because of a crush." Mike thinks for a bit, then says "Mitch, he was having a major internal struggle in the bathroom when I checked on him. He says his lust for Nadia just hit him..." Mike snaps his fingers. "...just like that, and the fact it did scared him because he's been loyal to Kate. He'll be fine." Mitch gets in Mike's face. "Well, let's make damn sure." The three then leave the bar.

_**Buenos Aires- Magistrados cantina**_

Back at the Villejas cantina, we see Tom stroll up casually to an older Argentinian man sitting behind a desk. He's a little heavy set with black hair, a black goatee, and dresses with style. He looks happy to see Tom. "Tomas! The Carniceria Killer!" Tom laughs, and then points at the man. "Come on, Hector. You guys did all the dirty work, I just pointed you in the right direction!" Hector puts his hand on Tom's shoulder. "I was wondering if I'd ever see you again. Last time when you came by, you had great news for me. Hopefully this time is no different. Have a seat, can I get you a drink?" Tom says "Let's hold off until you hear me out, then we'll decide whether we should have that celebratory drink." Hector was walking over to a liquor cabinet, but after hearing what Tom said, changed course to his desk chair. "Very well. What do you have for me this time?" Tom leans back in his chair. "Well, very similar to the deal we had before, with a bit of a twist." Hector looks uneasy. "What's the twist?" Tom smiles. "Oh no, the twist is a good one. See, the Los Conquistadores..." Hector slaps his hand on the table. "Those freaking cockroaches!" Tom looks a bit surprised. "Ok, what did they do?" Hector breathes deeply, then looks at Tom. "Those bastards have a lot of nerve, fighting over territory on a daily basis, stealing my contracts...I hate them worse than the Carnicerias." Tom grins, seeing as his ruse is working so far. "Well, how would you like to help overtake their compound tomorrow?" Hector gets a suspicious look. "That compound is impossible to crack. One way in, one way out, and a shitload of guards. You'd need an..." Tom cuts him off. "...an army, I know. Well, I'm sure you heard about Armando Junior getting a bullet in the brain earlier today." Hector laughs. "That little shit...I'm glad he's gone. You know, I heard there was some tactical team that did him in. Do I have you to thank for that?" Tom simply says "No comment." Hector looks at Tom for a bit, then laughs. "Haha! It WAS you!" Tom laughs back. "I wish I could take the credit, but my crack sniper did him in." Hector finishes laughing, then says "Tell him 'good shooting' for me, will ya?" Tom leans forward. "Junior's funeral is tomorrow at noon." Hector starts to nod. "Good. I knew he died. I didn't know when the funeral was." Tom continues. "And because of his most unfortunate demise, I would guess that compound will be at 50-75% staff max." Hector leans back in his chair a bit. "I see where this is going. You want me to send a ground attack into the weakened compound during Junior's funeral." Tom nods his head. "Yup." Hector leans forward. "What's in this for you?" Tom looks away for a bit, then back at Hector. "They're holding a doctor for ransom. My CIA division wants him pretty bad." Hector chuckles a bit. "Yeah, ransom is their trademark, those rotten cockroaches." Tom continues. "Me and a team of five others will ride along with whoever you send, then after we enter the compound, we'll sneak back and extract the good doctor. We would kindly ask for the temporary use of one of your vehicles for the getaway, but I assure you, you'd get it back." Hector thinks for a bit, then shakes his head. "Too risky." Tom looks taken aback. "What?" Hector says "Even with the depleted forces, they still would have a defensive position in a well-fortified area." Tom looks disgusted. "I thought you said you wanted to kill those cockroaches! You know as well as I do that you take a gang's home base, you'll cripple them. They'll be disorganized like a ship without a sail, and then you can pick them apart and sort through the ashes. Come on, Hector, we do good work together, you know this." Hector looks down at his desk. He thinks for a few seconds, then stands up and walks to the liquor cabinet. Hector grabs two shot glasses and pours some tequila in the glasses. He then walks over and hands Tom a glass and extends his glass out. "Let's go crush the Conquistadores!" Tom stands and touches Hector's glass, then both gulp down their shot. Hector says "We'll gather at 11 in the empty lot about two miles down from the main street from the compound." Tom nods his head. "I know which lot you're talking about. We'll be there." Tom starts to walk out. Hector asks "Do you need a ride back to your hotel?" Tom looks back at Hector. "If it wouldn't be too big of a problem, sure. I can't say I'm a fan of the taxis in this city." Hector laughs. "I know. Stand out front, there will be a guy to pick you up." Tom nods his head and walks out as we see Hector pick up a phone.

Out front, Tom doesn't stand by the curb too long before a red car pulls up. The driver, an Argentinian man looking like part of the gang, reaches over and opens the front passenger door. Tom gets the hint and enters the car. The driver asks "Which hotel you in?" Tom says "Hotel Colon." The driver nods his head and takes off. After he drives away, we see another car tail behind them. Tom looks in the passenger's mirror and notices the car behind them. "Is it custom for you guys to provide an extra support car for your transports?" The driver looks in the mirror. "No, but that does look like a tail. Not one of our own. Not Conquistadores either probably." Tom gives the driver a look. "What do you mean?" The driver says "Conquistadores only drive green cars. That's a blue car behind us." Tom asks "Who could someone driving a blue car be representing?" The driver shakes his head. "Neutral color. Could be anyone." Tom and the driver head further down the road. The driver looks back in the rear-view mirror again. "Looks like an older lady is driving that car. That can't be a tail." Tom shakes his head. "No, that car took off near the cantina when we did, and she's been on our ass since we left. This might be a contract job." The driver looks over a Tom and smirks. "I'll shake her." We see the driver floor it. The tail follows suit. The driver then turns sharply to the left down a business district, then makes a quick right. The tail follows suit. The driver then cuts down an alleyway and makes a quick left and then a quick right into a garage. The driver shuts off the car and turns off the light. We see the tail go speeding behind them. The driver waits a few seconds. "Ok, you're good. We're near your hotel." Tom looks over at the driver and smiles. "Nice work. Hector hires quality, that's why I deal with him." The driver just chuckles a bit as he backs out of the garage. Eventually, Tom makes it to the hotel.

_**Buenos Aires- Hotel Colon**_

Tom gets off an elevator and pulls out a key and uses it to open a hotel room. He's all smiles at first until he sees the angry faces of Mitch, Mike, and Eddie. Tom looks a little confused. "What's going on? I got some good..." Mitch gets in Tom's face. "You and the girl. Knock it off. You have a wife." Tom gets an angry face and shoves Mitch to the floor. "HOW DARE YOU ACCUSE ME OF WANTING TO CHEAT ON MY WIFE! WHAT GIVES YOU THE DAMN RIGHT?" Mitch scrambles back to his feet. "You were awfully flirty with Nadia in the cantina. We just want to make sure you have your head screwed..." Tom grabs Mitch, but is broken up by Mike and Eddie. "You have a lot of damn nerve! You know me better than that!" Mike, holding Tom back, says "Look, we're just looking out for your best interests." Tom gives Mike a look. "First of all, YOU should know me better than that. And second, it was HER that was being flirty when we were at the table. You saw her slide me that empty glass, wanting me to buy her a drink. I was being facetious at the bar when I asked her if the women bought the drinks for the men in the country when she bought us that first round. For christsakes, guys, I was kidding around." Mitch, looking a little more relaxed, says "Ok, ok. Just make sure she knows that you're off the market at the end of the mission. Got it?" Tom nods his head. "Of course. I was going to talk to her anyway if she did good on the mission." Mitch nods his head as civility returns to the room. Tom then says "Ok, can I give you guys the good news and bad news now?" Eddie says "What's up? How did your meet go?" Tom smiles. "Most excellent. Villejas is in. We'll meet in that big empty parking lot about two miles down from the compound we saw on the way in. They'll break into the compound, we'll sneak around back and infiltrate that way. They're providing us with a getaway car when we extract the good doctor." Mike says "So, Villejas was receptive. Good call." Tom looks at Mike. "No, he wasn't just receptive. You should have seen him literally froth at the mouth when I even mentioned the word Conquistadores. He wants them blown off the map, and this will cripple them." Mitch nods his head in agreement, but doesn't say anything. Eddie looks a little leery. "You don't have any reservations about helping out a gang?" Tom looks over at Eddie. "I know about your history growing up, growing up a gang-infested barrio in Mexico City. I understand your reservation. But, Mitch and Mike can attest that we don't deal with gangs that don't go about pissing off us Americans, and we don't deal with gangs that go about their business the wrong way, like dealing weapons to dictators or holding people for ransom. One thing I've learned in the past 10 years of working Latin America is even the worst of enemies can find common ground if they both want something bad enough. Thankfully, Villejas runs his gang in just about the most conventional and under the radar way that I've found south of the Rio Grande. That right, guys?" Mitch thinks for a bit. "That's about right." Eddie thinks for a bit, then nods. "I understand. Sorry if I overstepped my boundaries here, I don't have as much experience in Argentina as you guys do." Tom laughs a bit. "No need to apologize. If I were in your position, I'd ask the same thing." Mike then says "Ok, you said you had bad news?" Tom looks down. "I had a tail on me when I left Hector's and came back here." Mike gets an uneasy look, but Mitch keeps a straight face and asks "Who was it?" Tom says "That's the thing, it was just an older looking lady in a blue car." Mitch laughs. "So, you were being chased by grandma? That's a first!" Tom shakes his head. "No, when my driver took off like a bat out of hell, she followed suit. We eventually shook her, but her following confirmed that she was very interested in where I was going." Mitch sighs. "So, how do we deal with this?" Tom thinks for a bit. "Ok, it's 11 PM. We have twelve hours until we have to be at the parking lot. We have two hotel rooms with two beds and two people to each room. One person in a room will stay up for another five hours keeping watch while the other will sleep. Then, at 4 AM, we switch. At 9 AM, we'll all be up and getting ready for the big dance number. That sound ok?" Eddie shrugs. "That's cool with me." Mike says "That's fine." Mitch sighs. "I was looking forward to a full night's rest..." Mike says "You bunk with me, I'll stay up for the first five so you can get your beauty rest." Mitch just chuckles and shakes his head. "Ok, whatever." Tom then looks at Eddie. "So, you guys are leaving me with the crack shot? I appreciate it!" Mike and Mitch laugh as Eddie shrugs and looks down a little embarrassed. Tom then tells Eddie "I'm still a little wired from tonight's activities. I'll stay up and you can get some sleep. I'll let you know when we rotate." Eddie nods his head, and then grabs his bag. Tom does too, then tells Mitch and Mike "Good night. Just bang on the wall if you hear or need anything."

It's now 3:59 AM in Tom's hotel room. We see Tom looking out the window as Eddie sleeps behind him. Tom looks up at the full moon. Just as he does, we see Nadia from her apartment window looking up at the full moon. She's looking at it almost in a trance just like Tom is. Back at the hotel, Tom then shakes Eddie awake at 4 AM and then crawls into bed himself. We see Eddie walk towards the window as Tom is lying on his side looking the other way. We hear him whisper "What did you do to me, Nadia?" At the same time in her apartment, Nadia is also lying on her side and asks "There's something about you, Tom..." Both then decide to go to sleep.

_**Buenos Aires- Vacant parking lot outside Conquistadores compound**_

It's 11 AM in Argentina and we see Tom, Eddie, Mitch, and Mike in the big parking lot surrounded by a large contingent of Los Magistrados gang members. Tom is surveying the crowd that has gathered when he sees Hector Villejas step out of a car. Tom walks up to Hector. "Well, look at this. The leader on the field of battle with his troops!" Hector, who has a big cigar in his mouth, laughs. "Tomas, I wanted to be present when those cockroaches get exterminated. You attacked their heart when your man killed Junior, and now we're here to break it." Tom smirks and nods his head. He turns back and notices a car pull up to his other two team members. Tom then turns back to Hector. "Who will we be tagging with?" Hector points to a humvee. "That will be the rear of the assault. We'll start fighting and you guys can assault the rear of the facility as you have planned." Tom reaches out to shake Hector's hand. "Hector, good luck out there. We might not meet again after this, so I just want to thank you for the help today." Hector reaches out and shakes Tom's hand. "Tomas, if this works out, if you need anything...ANYTHING, don't hesitate to reach out to me. If you think I have it, I probably do or I can get it." Tom smirks and nods. "I might put you to the test on that one of these days." Tom turns away to go back to his team members.

As he gets to them, he sees Pedro and Nadia get out of the car that just arrived. The car takes off as Tom and Nadia each exchange a smile for a few seconds. Tom then looks at Pedro. "Morning, comrade." Pedro reaches out and shakes Tom's hand. "Morning." Tom looks over at Nadia again. "What, no hello from you?" Nadia folds her arms in mock frustration. "The men always say hello first in this country." Tom fires back "Just like how they buy the drinks, right?" Nadia nods her head and gets a wide smile on her face. "Very good! You're learning!" While this exchange is taking place, we see Mitch gives Mike a bit of a look and shake his head in disgust. Tom looks back at Mitch as he's finishing shaking his head at Mike. Tom gives Mitch a glare, then sighs a bit. Then, he composes himself and addresses the team. "I just talked to Hector. We're to tag along on the humvee over there..." Tom points right. "...that will be the rear of the attack. Hector and his men will start the fighting, we'll sneak out and head towards the back of the compound." Mitch takes over. "Despite the attention to the front, don't be surprised to see a force still in play in the back. I think the numbers might be closer than we were looking at before, but we still could be outnumbered. It's hard to know how the Conquistadores will react." Pedro adds "The Conquistadores have been making headway lately with their ammunition strength. Our intel reports that they're now up to fully automatics now, but they might still be a little green with their operation. Still, use caution in there." Tom says "According to Mitch's schematics, the area we'll be focusing on isn't all that large. Lots of hallways and smaller rooms, but the overall square footage isn't great, so we'll split into two teams of three. Mitch, Mike, Eddie, when we enter, we'll will have the option of going either left or right. Mitch, you take point over your crew and head left. Me, Pedro, and Nadia will go right. That reminds me..." Tom looks at Pedro. "You didn't happen to bring radio equipment with you, did you?" Pedro shakes his head. "That was to be supplied by you guys." Mitch raises his hand. "That's my fault, we brought equipment, but when I tested it this morning, it wasn't functional. I don't know what happened, guys." Pedro shakes his head, but Tom sticks up for Mitch. "It's not his fault, it was mine. I should have tested it before we left. Anyway, AS SOON as your side is clear, Mitch, rendezvous with us on the right side. We believe that's where they're holding the doctor." Mitch nods his head. "Got it." Nadia asks "You guys did bring weapons at least?" Mitch gets snappy. "YES WE DID, LADY!" Tom gives Mitch an angry look, then walks up and whispers tersely in Mitch's ear "This nonsense with you, me, and Nadia has to stop. I'm taking care of it, so ease the hell off. Besides, you're in no position to be flapping your gums, it was YOUR job to test the radio equipment back in Baltimore." Mitch gives Tom a look as Tom steps away. Tom looks over at the rest of the team. "Ok, our ammunition is in the trunk. Let's get locked and loaded." Everyone still looks a little uneasy after Mitch and Nadia's exchange. Tom notices. "Guys! This is the day we say goodbye to a piece of crap Argentinian gang and save the life of a doctor. Look up!" The speech appears to have some effect on the crew as they head towards the back of Storm Crew's car. Tom then reaches out to Nadia and grabs her arm gently. Nadia asks "What is it?" Tom looks as the rest of the team is walking towards the car. "After this is over, we need to talk." Nadia gets a concerned look as Tom lets go and goes to the back of the car. Nadia eventually follows.

Later, we see the team in the back of the humvee. They're situated all the way back towards near the driver. On one side is Mitch, Mike, and Eddie and the other is Tom, Pedro, and Nadia, in that order. A gang member looks over at Tom. "What are you guys doing here?" Tom looks over at the man. "Well, as your boss says, we're here to squash some Conquistadore cockroaches and free a doctor that's being held hostage for ransom." The man nods his head. "They killed my brother two months ago." Mitch asks "What for?" The man says "My brother was just driving in the city. He was wearing neutral colors, but somehow, the Conquistadores knew who he was...they pulled up along side of him at a stop sign and started blasting. Manny had no chance." Pedro asks "What did Manny do to upset them?" The man looks at Pedro. "Nothing in particular, but they knew he was a lieutenant in the gang. I think they just wanted to send a message." Tom nods his head, then says "I'm sure your brother will be looking down on you today out there." The man smiles. "He's here already. I can feel him." Tom smirks a bit as the humvee starts going.

The first of the Magistrados convoy reaches the main gate. Mag soldiers pile out of the back of their humvee and open fire on the troops guarding the gate. After they succeed, one of them opens the electric gate. Their humvee veers off to the left inside the compound and the rest of the convoy advances. In their rear humvee, Tom and the crew can hear the fighting go on. Then, their humvee comes to a sudden stop as they hear an explosion ahead. Outside, we hear "Everyone out! We're stuck!" Tom looks at everyone. "Ok, that's our cue." The crew piles out of the car. As they get out, they see they're 5 cars back from the gate. They see one car in the convoy ahead is on fire. Tom is positioned to the right taillight of the humvee looking ahead while Mitch is opposite him on the left tailight. Everyone else is in between them. Mitch says "Wow, we're a ways back." Tom says "Everyone! Hold until I give the go-ahead!" Mitch looks at Tom. "Come on! They're distracted, let's go!" Tom looks at Mitch. "No! We're way back. We need to give the Mags time to advance!" Mitch says "It's ok! All of the fighting is focused on the front side, we can sneak back behind the car convoy and go around back!" Tom looks ahead and thinks for a bit before turning back to the team. "Mitch is right. Pedro, Nadia, follow me around the front. Mitch, Mike, Eddie, you follow behind us. Single file formation. Once we get in, hug the walls of the main building until we're inside!" Mitch gives the thumbs up and Tom takes off, with Pedro and Nadia following behind. They circle in front of the humvee and Mitch and his team follows as ordered. The crew get to the front gate as Tom takes position to the left side of the gate. Tom looks at the fighting that's going on off the right of the entrance, which is the front of the facility. Tom then reaches his head around and looks left and finds nothing going on. Tom looks back at everyone. "Ok! Go!" Tom takes off and crosses the alleyway towards the outside wall of the main building. The team follows quickly along the edge of the building until they reach the end of the wall. As they stop, Mitch takes the lead from Tom and looks around the corner. He studies what he sees for a bit, then looks back at the team. "No one outside of the back entrance! They must have joined the fighting up front." Mitch goes back to his position between Nadia and Mike. Tom then motions to go ahead. Like before, they skim the wall up until they get to the door, which is actually wide open. Tom looks in and looks left, then right, then gets back into position and looks at Mitch. "Coast is clear from what I see. Go!" Mitch, Mike, and Eddie proceed in and go down the left hallway. om, Pedro, and Nadia follow and go right. Tom gets to the end of the hallway before it turns left and posts up on the corner wall. Pedro and Nadia follow suit. Tom pulls out his long mirror and extends it out to look at what's down the hall. He sees two troops stationed outside a door to the right and a door at the end of the hallway that looks unguarded. Tom then puts away his mirror and looks at Pedro and Nadia. "Ok, there's two guards that are positioned outside a door to the right. I bet you they're protecting something valuable..." Pedro smiles. "...like a doctor, perhaps?" Tom smiles. "Perhaps!" Nadia asks "What's the plan?" Tom says "We take out the guards. There's another door down the hallway. You two go make sure there's no surprises down that way." Pedro and Nadia nod. Tom tells them to "Get into position to the front of me." Pedro and Nadia stand out in front of him as Tom holds up three fingers...then two...then one. Tom, Pedro, and Nadia then turns the corner and opens fire on the unsuspecting guards. One goes down right away while another is hit in the leg. The guy screams as he falls over and Tom rushes over. Pedro and Nadia follow as Tom kneels down in front of the downed guard. "Donde esta el doctor?" ("_Where is the doctor?_" in Spanish) The man lets out a smile amidst the pain. "Arder en el infierno!" ("_Burn in hell_" in Spanish). Tom, unamused, cooly shoots the guy in the head, much to the surprise to Nadia. "You didn't have to kill him!" Tom looks back. "You're right, I should have left him alive so he could scream to the rest of his amigos down the hallway that we're here." Nadia asks "What hallway? There's another door right there!" Tom looks over and sees a metal door about 10 feet away that looks reinforced. "Oh...well, he's dead now. Go check down the long hallway, I'll work on the door." Pedro and Nadia sprint off down the hallway as Tom examines the door.

Meanwhile, Mitch, Mike, and Eddie face some resistance. After dispatching of the Conquistadore troops, each one of them splits off to check the rooms over in their portion of the compound, but can't find anything. Mitch then says "Ok, to the right side of the building, guys!" They start to go back the way they came.

As that is happening, Tom is trying to kick down the door to no avail. Then, he finds a crowbar nearby. He picks it up and tries to wedge it in the door and pry it open. As he's pulling back, he doesn't hear two Conquistadore troops come up behind him. One of them says "Alto! Suelte el arma!" (_Stop! Drop your weapon_!) Tom's eyes bug out after the guard says that. Tom stands there for a moment and thinks. The guard says "SUELTE EL ARMA!" again. Tom gets a defeated look on his face, then lifts up his machine gun that he was carrying on a shoulder strap and tosses it to the ground. The other guard pats Tom down and takes out a pistol that he had on his ankle. Tom then says "Asi que, cuanto dinero el rescate que valgo?" (_So, how much ransom money am I worth?_). Just as he says that, the metal door that Tom tried vainly to open flies open. We see an older man walk up to him casually. Behind him is Doctor Gregory Simonich tied down to a chair. He's got numerous bruises and cuts to his face, signs of abuse during his captivity. Tom looks at him, then at the man walking towards him. The man says "Ponte de rodillas" (_Get on your knees_). Tom smirks and asks "Que pasa si no?" (_What if I don't?_) One of the guards kicks Tom's right knee forward, forcing Tom to his knees. Tom looks up at the older man in front of him as the man pulls out a pistol and points it at his forehead. Tom, showing little signs of nerves, says "Es posible que desee tomar el seguro, el novato." (_You might want to take the safety off, rookie_) The man chuckles a bit as he clicks the safety off and says "Como usted quiera, el hombre muerto." (_As you wish, dead man._) The man then pulls back on the hammer on the revolver. Tom, now resigned to his certain fate, closes his eyes and mutters "So this is it." Just as he says that, he hears...

POW!

POW POW!

Tom opens his eyes and is surprised to see the man who had the gun to his head now down on the floor, lifeless. Simonich looks on, but he can't say anything because his mouth is taped shut. Tom, breathing heavily out of shock, turns around and sees the two men behind him dead in a heap, as well as a pair of legs that don't look like they belong to a man. Tom scans up the body to see Nadia's face and a smoking pistol. Tom, in pure shock, starts to move his mouth to speak, but no words come out at first. Nadia, noticing Tom's disbelief, says "In this country, women are known to save the lives of the men they have a crush on." Tom laughs in surprise, then says "Where have you been all my life?" As he says that, Pedro shows up, along with Mitch, Mike, and Eddie. They all see Tom on his knees with the dead guards around him and him looking in absolute astonishment at Nadia. Mitch asks "What the hell happened?" Tom looks over at Mitch. "Nadia...she just saved my life. I was dead to rights and...she saved me. She killed all three of these men with one of them holding a gun at my forehead." Tom gets up to his feet slowly and composes himself for a bit. Mitch looks over at Nadia. "Nice shooting." Nadia looks over and says "Thanks." Mitch extends his hand towards Nadia. "Sorry for being rough on you earlier." Nadia reaches over and shakes his hand. "No, you were right, that was tasteless of me." Mitch smiles. "Well, you redeemed yourself and then some." Tom notices the exchange and smiles, then turns in and walks towards the doctor. "You ready to get the hell out of here?" Tom slowly takes the tape off of the doctor's mouth. Simonich, in a thick Russian accent, says "Yes! Who are you guys?" Tom says "We're CIA. We're interested in your mutation research." Simonich hangs his head. "Are you going to kill me?" Tom laughs. "You know, I just had a guardian angel drop down from the Argentinian sky and save my life just a minute ago. I may not be as pretty as my angel is..." Nadia blushes a bit. "...but, in this case, you're just going to have to accept me as your guardian angel, here to save you from the Covenant AND the Conquistadores." Simonich nods his head. Mike goes and cuts the rest of Simonich's restraints. Tom asks "Can you walk?" Simonich says "Yes, I think so." Tom looks at Mike. "Hang back with him and follow us out."

The team, with Simonich, walks out the back entrance of the compound building and heads towards the front gate. As they reach the gate, they hear a roar of celebration to their left. Tom stops to look as Hector Villejas pumps his fist to the sky with the victorious troops. Hector looks over to the right and sees Tom and the rest of the crew with the doctor. Tom gives Hector a thumbs up. Hector returns the thumbs up. Then, Hector points outside of the gate and then to the right. Tom, getting the message, gives another thumbs up and leads the crew out. They see a Hummer H2 parked near the abandoned building Eddie set up shop at when he killed Junior. The team enters the car and heads off.

_**Somewhere along the coast in Buenos Aires**_

A little later, we see the Hummer pull down a road, which dead ends overlooking the ocean. The Hummer stops at the end of the road. Everyone gets out of the Hummer except for Simonich. From a distance, we look through a camera lens as Tom gets out of the Hummer, then the camera snaps like a picture is being taken. We hear an older Latino woman's voice. "That HAS to be him!" As Nadia gets out, we see the screen look like it's taking a picture again. We hear the voice again say "Nadia! They're together!" Tom walks around to the passenger's side of the Hummer where everyone is gathered. He starts to address everyone. "Everyone, heck of a job today. We went in and did just what the doctor ordered!" Everyone laughs a bit. Tom looks at Mitch. "How much resistance did you guys face?" Mitch shakes his head. "Nothing we couldn't handle!" Mike and Eddie laugh at that, as does Tom. Tom then looks over at Pedro and Nadia. "I want to thank you two for all your help. This mission might not have been a success without your aid." Pedro shakes Tom's hand. "It was our pleasure. It'll be interesting to see the fallout with the Conquistadores, but I get the feeling their days are numbered." Tom then looks over at Nadia. "Would you care to take a walk with me for a second?" Mitch and Mike look at each other as Nadia smiles widely. "Sure!" Tom looks over to the right and sees a woman with a camera ducking into the alleyway. He then walks over to Mitch. "Mitch, I think my tail from last night is over in the next alleyway over. Go around back and take care of it." Mitch nods his head. "Got it." Mitch then heads down an alley directly behind them. Tom then walks off with Nadia as Pedro, Mike, and Eddie congratulate each other.

Tom and Nadia stop about a half a block away on the railing overlooking the ocean. Nadia notices that Tom is looking rather uneasy. "Hey, what is it?" Tom leans over the rail and looks at the ocean. "Nadia, I owe you my life. If it weren't for you, I'd be dead now. Thank you, from the bottom of my heart." Nadia puts her hand on his shoulder. "No problem!" Tom smiles, then goes back to looking out at the ocean. "I hear you're due for a promotion. I'll write your director a letter with a commendation of your work today. You're good in a pinch." Nadia grins wide. "That would be wonderful, thank you." Tom turns towards Nadia, starts to talk, but then looks down. Nadia looks concerned. "What is it?" Tom, still looking down, says "I have a confession to make." Nadia's mouth opens a bit as Tom starts to speak. "When I first saw your face in the bar, something...washed over me from the inside." Tom looks up at Nadia, who's listening intently. "It's like I just gazed into the eyes of the most beautiful creature to ever walk this earth." Nadia, now looking flattered, looks down and smiles as Tom continues. "I got this...crazy feeling that I didn't understand...and still don't really...that's why I had to run to the bathroom...I was just so awestruck and I did not see it coming at all. It was...weird." Nadia looks up suddenly and puts her hand over her mouth. "You felt the same way as I did!" Tom looks surprised. "What?" Nadia continues. "Something happened to me too when I first looked at you...that same kind of crazy, bizarre feeling...like I just met my destiny or something." Tom laughs a bit. "Well, you certainly hid it a lot better than I did!" Nadia laughs a bit and so does Tom. After a bit of awkward silence, Nadia asks "So..." Tom looks back out to the ocean. His face looks pained. "Nadia, I would just love to ask you out on a date. Everything inside of me is just longing for me to do that. But I can't." Nadia goes from smiling to disappointed. She says nothing as Tom looks at her. "Nadia, I'm married. I have a wife that's been in my life for going on 12 years now, and we've been married for four of them. I can't betray her." Tom looks down and almost looks like he wants to cry. Nadia notices Tom's look of remorse. She reaches out and puts her hand on Tom's chin and lifts his face up. Tom looks at Nadia with a troubled look. Nadia smiles a bit. "I have a boyfriend myself. It's ok. I understand." Tom exhales in relief. "Really? Well, that helps...a little." Tom chuckles a bit at the end of that sentence. Nadia smiles and hugs Tom, then gives him a peck on the cheek, then whispers in his ear "You're a good man. We'll work together again someday. I know we will." Tom hugs Nadia and says"We will. After all, I now have a life debt to you that I need to pay off." Nadia laughs a bit as they release the hug. They look at each other for a few seconds. Tom then looks over Nadia's shoulder at Mike, Eddie, and Pedro, who are just standing around looking on. Tom looks back at Nadia. "Ok, I think we've left our team hanging long enough." Tom and Nadia start to walk back over to their gang.

Meanwhile, from the vantage point of where the camera shots were being taken a little earlier, we hear the voice from earlier say "Oh no, is this it? Come on Nadia, this is the Caretake..." Just then, she's cut off by Mitch saying "Don't move!" We see Mitch pointing a gun at the back of the head of the black-haired woman. The woman is frozen. Mitch says "Turn to me slowly." The woman turns and for the first time, we see her face. It's Elena Derevko. She's grinning at Mitch. "Ah, Tom's loyal servant!" Mitch looks confused. "How do you know his name?" Elena keeps her smile. "I know a lot about you guys...Mitchell." Mitch is still bewildered. "Who do you work for? The Conquistadores?" Elena smiles. "Oh no, I serve a much higher purpose." Mitch asks "The Covenant?" Elena laughs. "The who?" Mitch says nothing and looks unamused. Elena asks "Why is the teacher being led by the student?" Mitch still says nothing. Elena continues. "It must be eating you up inside having to take Tom's orders when you taught him everything you know." Mitch, in a first sign of weakness, goes to talk, but doesn't say anything. Elena nods her head. "Thought so." Mitch shakes his head. "Tom bailed me out of a life of desk work when he brought me on to Storm Crew. I owe him my allegiance." Elena steps forward, but Mitch keeps the gun pointed at her. Elena isn't fazed as she says "He's the one that owes you. We both know you would have gotten back on your feet eventually. Time heals all CIA wounds." Mitch cocks back the hammer. "Ok, enough of this. WHO ARE YOU?" Elena just smiles. "Tom is reckless. He almost got you killed when you got here, and he almost got himself killed if it wasn't for...that female agent." Elena stops to let the words sink in. Mitch, still looking exasperated, says nothing. Elena pulls out a business card and extends it out to Mitch. Mitch looks at it a bit, then back at Elena. Mitch then reaches out for the card, but as he does, Elena swipes Mitch's gun like a cat and points it at him. Mitch holds his hands up with the card in his right hand. Elena then releases the magazine from the handle and takes the remaining bullet out of the chamber. "Mitch, I'm going to let you live today. But, look at that card. When you're ready to reclaim the throne from Tom, just let me know. Even if you decide not to call me...we'll be in touch." Elena pockets the magazine and bullets and hands Mitch back his empty gun. Then, Elena walks down the alleyway and disappears. Mitch, looking confused, looks down the alleyway where Elena left for a long time. Mitch then walks the other way and heads towards Tom and the rest of the crew.

Mitch stares Tom down as he walks towards him, still processing what Elena told him. Tom then gives Mitch a headnod. Tom then looks at Pedro and Nadia. "Well, this is where we part ways. Your ride is coming soon, I hope?" Pedro says "Yes." Tom shakes Pedro's hand again. "Thanks again for your help. I'm writing your director a commendation for Nadia. She truly was excellent today and deserves that promotion." Pedro smiles and looks at Nadia. "Yeah, I think it's time." Nadia grins at Tom and Pedro. Tom returns the grin, then both Tom and Nadia share a bit of a disappointed look. Tom eventually breaks the stare. "Ok, thanks guys." Tom gives both of them a sheepish wave and then walks to the Hummer. He gets in the front seat, Mitch in the front passenger's seat, and Eddie and Mike join the doctor in the back seat. Tom starts the car and fixes his gaze on Nadia. Her gaze is fixed on him as he swings the car around. Then, when she disappears from view, Tom looks ahead with a disappointed look. Mitch looks over at Tom, who looks noticeably crestfallen. "Did you talk to her?" Tom, focused on the road, says "Yeah. It's over...it's all over." Mitch just turns away and looks out the window. "You know you couldn't..." Tom cuts him off. "Shut up, Mitch. I don't want to talk about it." Mitch kind of gives Tom a bit of a look, then looks back out at the road. Tom then asks "So, what did our spy have to say?" Mitch looks out at the sidewalk. He then spots Elena walking along the sidewalk. Tom, noting Mitch hasn't said anything, asks "Mitch?" Mitch snaps out of it and looks at Tom. "Conquistadore spy. Just keeping tabs on you...us." Tom notices Mitch's indecisiveness. "Well, which is it?" Mitch says "Us! Anyway, she won't be bothering us anymore, I set her straight." Tom gazes at Mitch a bit, then goes back to looking at the road. In the back seat, Mike and Eddie both take note of the tension between the two. Tom pulls out a cell phone and punches a number.

Back at CIA Dark Cover, James Lennox answers the phone. "Tom! What's your status?" Tom, rather blankly, says "The mission was a success. We have the doctor. The Argentine agents were very helpful and the Mags held up their end of the bargain. We probably won't be hearing about the Conquistadores anymore." Back at Dark Cover, we see James turn around to Vandenburg and give him a thumbs up. Vandenburg then claps his hands in excitement, then takes the phone from James. "Well done, Tom! Sounds like everything went according to plan." Tom lets that comment soak in for a bit. (_Quick flashback to Tom and Nadia's conversation by the beach just moments ago) _Vandenburg, noticing the line is silent now, says "Tom? Did I lose you?" Tom snaps out of it. "No, no. Yes, everything went smoothly. Is our plane ready?" Vandenburg says "Yes. It'll be ready as soon as you get to the airport. I can't wait to hear the final report back here in Maryland." Tom says "Good. See you then." Tom hangs up the phone before Vandenburg can respond. Vandenburg looks a bit surprised, but just sets the phone down. He looks at James, who's looking at Vandenburg a little curiously now. Vandenburg smiles. "Must have been in traffic."

_**Somewhere over the Atlantic Ocean**_

On the plane, we see Doctor Simonich seated in a booth. Over on the other side, Tom is sitting with Mike, Mitch and Eddie. Mike, Mitch and Eddie are all smiles, but Tom is not exactly on the same page. Mitch then gets up and walks to the fridge. "Mike, beer?" Mike says "Absolutely!" Eddie says "Me too!" Mitch looks over at Tom, who's just staring a hole through their table. Mitch asks "Tom?" Tom looks at Mitch and says plainly "Sure. See if the doctor is thirsty." We look over a the doctor, who holds up his hands. "Ah...no thanks! I am fine with my water!" Mitch grabs four beers from the fridge, then walks over to the table and hands the other three their beers. Tom takes his a little reluctantly and Mitch takes notice, but doesn't say anything. Mike and Eddie also look over at the remorseful-looking Tom. Finally, Mike asks "Tom, are you ok?" Tom looks up at Mike, then Eddie, then Mitch, then stands up. He holds out his beer over the table, and the other three follow suit. Tom, in a less-than-triumphant voice, says "When we set out on this mission, we made a vow to set the bar for others to follow. Well, Rome wasn't built in a day, and thus, our dynasty still waits to be written into legacy. But, the longest journeys are always started with one step. And today, we took that step. I'm proud to have been out there with you guys. You all performed admirably. Cheers." The four tap their bottles. Tom takes a swig off the bottle as Mitch takes a seat next to Mike. Tom remains standing, still looking crestfallen. Mitch finally says something. "Tom, you've had this down look on your face since we left Pedro and Nadia." Tom stands there just staring into space, then says "You guys were the reason we succeeded. If I hadn't nearly gone and nearly gotten myself killed, this would have been a lot smoother." Mike says "That's nonsense. Without you, we wouldn't have gotten the Mags to give us the diversion we needed!" Eddie adds "And if you hadn't had us scout the place before, I wouldn't have shot the Mag leader that led to our success." Tom looks at the Mike and Eddie. "I guess things did click into place for us. Sometimes...fate just has a funny way of working itself out, I guess." Mitch gets up and pats Tom on the shoulder. "You said it best back in the car yesterday. You know how many pickles I was in like the ones you got in during this mission? You worked your way out of the first one and the second one...well, sometimes you just get lucky." Tom smiles and looks at Mitch. "It's not luck when you're surrounded by good people." Tom pats Mitch on the shoulder, then looks out at the rest of his team. "It's good to work with friends." Tom then sits down with the rest of the team and enjoys the rest of his drink.

_**Edgewood, MD- CIA Dark Cover headquarters**_

Back in the Dark Cover elevator, Doctor Simonich is standing in between Tom and Mitch on the elevator while Eddie and Mike stand behind. Tom looks over to Mitch. "I want you to handle the debrief with James." Mitch looks over surprised. "Really? Why?" Tom says "Just do it. You'll have a more objective eye in terms of what happened than I will. Remember, it was ME that stepped on the twig. Oh, and let's keep this Nadia business amongst ourselves, including where she saved my life. Ok?" Mitch nods. Tom looks back and Eddie and Mike each nod their heads. The elevator door opens and the five walk out of the elevator to a round of applause from the rest of Dark Cover. At front and center of the celebratory group is Vandenburg and Lennox. Tom and Mitch walk up to them with Simonich. Tom says "Before you guys get nervous, the good doctor had these cuts and bruises BEFORE I got to him. I swear!" Lennox and Vandenburg laugh. The doctor even chuckles a bit. "These guys saved my life. I'll tell you anything you need to know." Lennox walks off with the doctor towards the interrogation room. Tom then walks up to Vandenburg. "I need to talk to you for a moment in private." Tom and Vandenburg walk off as the rest of the team gets pats on the back from the rest of Dark Cover.

In Vandenburg's office, Tom takes a seat in front of Vandenburg's desk. Vandenburg closes the door and sits behind his desk and notices the troubled look Tom has. "You seem a little down. This is a great thing you guys did, you should be proud." Tom lets out a small smile. "I am. But..." Vandenburg looks confused as he waits for Tom to continue. Tom says "I need to speak to a psychiatrist about something. Mitch will handle our debrief." Vandenburg sits back. "Did something happen during the mission?" Tom shakes his head and looks down. "It's personal, I'd rather not say." Vandenburg nods his head. "I hope it doesn't involve a rift with a teammate." Tom shakes his head. "No. Everyone did their job well. This is all me." Vandenburg asks "How soon would you like to talk to someone?" Tom looks up at Vandenburg. "As soon as possible. And PLEASE, keep this under wraps." Vandenburg nods his head and opens up a binder. "I'll see if I can get you someone this afternoon." Tom stands up. "Good. Just let me know, I'll be with my team."

Downstairs, Tom opens the doors to the Storm Crew office and receives a small ovation from everyone, including the the team that joined him in Argentina. Tom holds up his hands and shakes his head. "No, no, no, this was truly a team win for us. Mitch, Mike, and Eddie...ESPECIALLY Eddie, deserves the applause. Without Eddie capping that Conquistadore leader, we'd still be in a pickle." The team surrounds Eddie and gives him pats on the back and rubs of the head. As the team is celebrating around Eddie, Vandenburg walks in and hands Tom a slip of paper and walks out without saying anything. Tom looks down at the paper as the rest of the team takes notice. Tom looks back up. "It's nothing guys, just something for me." Chris asks "You joining all of us for drinks later?" Tom shakes his head nonchalantly. "No, I have some business to take care of. You guys have fun and make sure Eddie doesn't pay for a single drink, got it? If anyone has any questions about the mission, Mitch is handling the debrief, you can talk to him. Later guys." Tom then walks out of the office as the rest of the team goes back to enjoying the win.

_**Langley, Virginia- CIA Headquarters**_

A little later, we see Tom sitting in a waiting room in a small office. He looks like he's deep in thought until he's interrupted by a door opening. It's Judy Barnett, the CIA psychiatrist_ (You might remember hear at various points from Seasons 1 thru 3). "_Tom?" Tom looks up and smiles. "Yes_?" _Barnett says "I'm Judy Barnett, come on in." Tom stands up and enters the office. Tom has a seat on the couch as Barnett walks behind her desk and has a seat. "Your director, Harold Vandenburg, says you wanted to see me about something, but he didn't say what." Tom looks down at his feet. "I feel ashamed that I'm even in this seat right now, seeing as I just led the first successful mission of our new group." Barnett nods her head and smiles a bit. "I know. He told me. I also read your file before you arrived." Tom looks up a little surprised. Barnett notices. "Everything that is said in here is confidential, I assure you." Tom nods his head. "Sorry, I just never did this before." Barnett sits back. "What's troubling you?" Tom starts twiddling with his fingers. "As you know, I'm married. I've been with my wife for 12 years, and married for four of them. I love her. She's been loyal to me and I've been loyal to her." Barnett says "Loyalty is important to you." Tom nods his head. "Which is why I'm here. During the mission I just got back on...I met a woman." Barnett nods her head. "Go on." Tom goes back to looking down. "When our eyes met, I...something happened to me internally that I still don't understand." Barnett says "Describe what you felt." Tom says "I started to almost hyperventilate. I felt excited, yet scared. Nervous...yet, never so sure of anything in my life." Barnett says "Do you believe in love in first sight?" Tom laughs. "Oh come on, that's fairy tale stuff." Barnett asks "Did you feel like this when you met your first wife?" Tom thinks for a bit, then shrugs. "I thought she was cute at first, and I liked her and all, of course. But, I didn't feel this feeling of...DESTINY with her." Barnett asks "Destiny? Explain that." Tom smiles and shakes his head. "It was almost like I was looking into the rest of my life. I could almost see myself growing old with this woman, having kids...and just living the good life. A happy life." Barnett asks "What's a good and happy life for you?" Tom looks down. "A peaceful one. One where my problems are behind me, and I can just focus on living and loving life with someone I love and raising a child or two. Only, I was picturing that with this woman and not my current wife." Barnett says "I see. And you don't feel you're living a good life now with your current wife?" Tom shakes his head. "No, because I still have to do these missions where I risk my life. Eventually, I've dreamed of retiring early and raising a family with my wife, but it still seems so far away." Barnett asks "When you were having these...feelings, did you feel you were doing something wrong?" Tom says "Yes, and yet, at the same time, no. I love my wife, but when I looked at this woman, I felt this electricity run through me." Barnett nods. "Was this woman you met an agent?" Tom nods. "Yeah, she was one of two agents Argentine Intelligence sent to help us." Barnett leans forward. "What else happened between you two during the mission?" Tom says "Well, she saved my life. I was dead to rights and she saved me by killing my captors." Barnett says "How did that make you feel?" Tom says "It just made me want her more and more, like fate was reaching across and giving me a slap on the face and telling me that this is the woman I'm going to be with for the rest of my life. That's what made it so hard when I had to tell her I was married and I couldn't do anything about these feelings. My heart told me that my desire for the woman was right, but my conscience was telling me otherwise." Barnett says "How did she take it when you told her you couldn't pursue a relationship with her?" Tom says "Oddly, when I told her about the feelings I had at the bar, she told me she felt the same way at the bar. But, after I broke the bad news, she seemed to understand. Still, when I left, it hurt. It hurt me bad to leave her there. My heart longed for her, but I couldn't do anything about it..." Barnett finishes his sentence. "...because you love your wife." Tom nods his head. "Yeah..." Tom looks down. "And as much as I hate myself for not acting on these feelings about that woman, I hate myself just as much for even thinking about betraying my wife." Barnett says "You know, it's funny you mention this conflict of feelings. When I read your file, it was like I was reading the profile on two different people." Tom cocks his head quizzically. "What do you mean?" Barnett says "On one hand, your former directors say you walk the fine line of morality when you go on your missions. But, on the other hand, morality guides your decisions in your personal life and you don't veer from those moral obligations, and when you do, just as you did in this mission, you feel a sense of failure." Tom says "Failure?" Barnett continues. "In this case, your CIA life and your personal life crossed paths. The personal life told you that your sudden attraction for this woman as a weakness. But, you still were able to walk away in the end, loyal to your wife. That's not failure. Sticking to your guns isn't failure. You just were challenged in your personal life in a way you've never experienced before. And you passed the test. Many husbands and wives don't pass that test." Tom looks away for a bit. "I've almost gone out of the way in life to resist temptation." Barnett says "And as you said, it just reached across and slapped you in the face this mission. It happens. And you didn't back down." Tom looks at Barnett and smiles. "That's a good way of looking at it." Barnett says "Have you seen your wife since you got back?" Tom shakes his head. "No, I haven't." Barnett stands up. "Go be with her. I won't schedule another appointment because I think, when you walk in the door tonight, and see her for the first time in days, you'll remember why you stood up for your morals." Tom stands up and shakes her hand. "You could be right. Thank you for seeing me." Tom walks out of the office feeling better than he did when he left.

_(The end of episode song I'd like played starting now is "You Can't Always Get What You Want" by the Rolling Stones)_

_**Towson, MD- Tom's apartment**_

We see Tom pulling into his parking spot at his apartment. Tom steps out of his car and opens his trunk and grabs his luggage, then walks up the stairs to his apartment. Tom pulls out his keys and unlocks the door to his apartment, then opens the door. There to greet her is Kate, who leaps from the couch and runs into his arms. "Oh baby! I'm so glad you're home!" As Tom is holding on to Kate, we see him make quick flashbacks to Nadia in Argentina. Then, he steps back and looks at Kate's face. He then leans over and plants a long kiss on her lips. Tom pulls back and looks into Kate's eyes for a while. Kate says "What is it?" Tom smiles. "I just missed this face." Kate smiles. "I made some spaghetti..." Tom lifts Kate up and into his arms. "Spaghetti can wait. My sex drive can't." Tom then kicks the door closed and carries Kate into their bedroom and shuts the door. We stay outside of the room as we hear various moans and kissing sounds. Then, we hear Tom say "Oh Nadia..." (_Stop the song with the sound of a record suddenly stopping in it's tracks)_ We hear Kate scream "WHO'S NADIA?" We hear Tom say "Uh, no one!" (_Resume playing song as credits roll)_

**END OF EPISODE**


	8. Chapter 5: Bleed Out

**BLEED OUT**

**Day period of episode- the day after the Conquistadores mission to start, September 11-14, 2001 for the rest. (Just before the start of Season 1 of Alias)**

**Late July 2001, **_**Edgewood, MD- CIA Dark Cover Headquarters**_

Tom exits the elevator and starts walking across the lobby towards the Storm Crew office. From above, he hears "Tom!" Tom looks up and sees James Lennox leaning on the railway. Tom asks "What's up?" James says "Come up here, I need a word with you!" Tom walks up the steps and over to Lennox's office. As he walks in, he sees James has already taken a seat. Tom closes the door. "What's going on?" James asks Tom to take a seat, which he does. James then starts off. "I just wanted to go over Mitch's notes with you from the Argentina mission." Tom asks "What is it? He's usually very thorough." James opens up a file. "Oh he was. I just had one thing I wanted to get cleared up, this 'tail' that was on you after your meeting with Villejas and after the mission." Tom nods his head. "Yeah, Mitch says she was a Conquistadoran spy." James chuckles a bit. "See, that seems a little odd to me. Latin gangs don't usually send stalkers, they're more 'up-front' about their business. Plus, it seems to me like a waste of resources when you just lost your compound to keep a spy out there." Tom shrugs. "True, but maybe she didn't know that yet. Maybe she was contracted by the Conquistadores and not an actual gang member. We knew they were holding people for ransom, and maybe they were just finding different ways to use their capital. I mean, we did kill their #2 leader, and if it were ME and I saw the killers and had the resources to do it, I'd look to track them at all times." James nods his head. "I guess that makes sense. Anyway, did you ever encounter the spy personally?" Tom shakes his head. "No, I trusted Mitch would be able to handle it. He was the only one that had contact with that person, whoever it was." James closes the file. "Well, I think we can close the book on a job well done. Good work in Argentina." James reaches out and shakes Tom's hand. James then says "Speaking of Mitch, you're going to need to get your permanent teams done. You'll be leading one and I'm thinking you'd like Mitch as the other leader." Tom thinks for a moment, then says "I don't think there's anyone more qualified on my team. Mike could eventually be that guy, I guess, but in the meantime, I think Mitch would be a good leader for the second team." James says "I couldn't agree more. See if you can get your teams assembled today." Tom looks at his clock. "You doing anything for the next few minutes?" James shrugs. "Nothing that can't wait for a bit." Tom nods. "Ok, hang here for a bit, I have to talk to Mitch, but we'll have ourselves a little draft, NFL style in a few minutes." James laughs. "Let me and Vandenburg know when you do, I think we'll want to be there for that!" Tom smirks a bit. "Sounds good, can I go?" James stands up. "Absolutely. Thanks for coming in." Tom stands up and leaves.

Tom walks down the stairs and bumps into Mitch, who was also walking towards the Storm Crew office. "Mitch! I need a word with ya." Mitch walks over. "First, good job on the debrief, I just double-checked it with James and he says you did a good job." Mitch says "Thanks. I did as you told and kept your shenanigans with Nadia out as well as attributed the twig-breaking to you." Tom nods. "Appreciate it." Mitch says "Speaking of Nadia, how are you holding up there?" Tom looks at him plainly for a second, then laughs. "Come on, that's old news." Mitch smiles. "Good to hear." Tom says "Anyway, the real reason I wanted to talk to you before we went in is James wants us to assemble the two tactical teams. I want you to lead the other one." Mitch nods his head. "So, that's why you had me lead Mike and Eddie into the compound and do the debrief." Tom thinks for a bit. "The compound, yes. The debrief...not exactly, but I knew you'd do a good job. Anyway, that's not important. We're going to hold it NFL Draft style and I'll have the first pick. I'd like to have Mike and you can have Chris so we both have experienced #2's. That alright?" Mitch nods his head in agreement. "That's fine. And we'll just pick the rest." Tom says "Luke, the greenhorn, will be a floater between the two teams so he can get more experience, so he can't be drafted." Mitch thinks about it, then nods his head. "That's a good idea." Tom pats Mitch on the back. "Ok, I'll go back up and let Vandenburg and James know we're starting. They wanted to watch." Tom heads back up the stairs as Mitch goes in.

A little later, we see everyone gathered in the Storm Crew office. Tom and Mitch are standing in front of the computers while James and Vandenburg are off to the side. The rest of Storm Crew are standing huddled together looking at Tom and Mitch. Tom starts off. "Everyone, welcome to the inaugural Storm Crew Draft!" The rest of the team gives a mock applause. Tom continues in an announcer voice. "Today, we will know who the two teams that make up Storm Crew will be. First, a couple of rules. Number 1...Luke Winter..." Luke looks surprised. "I got picked number 1?" The rest of the team laughs. Tom says "Alright, alright guys! No Luke, you didn't get picked number 1. Try listening, it's fundamental! Anyway, the first RULE of the Storm Crew draft is that you, Luke, will be a member of both my team and Mitch's team and will be used as needed." Luke shrugs. "Uh, why?" Tom says "Because, double the missions, double the experience you get. You're the young'n among us, so we just want to make sure you get as much duty under your belt as possible." Luke nods. "I understand, boss." Tom says "Number 2...David..." David looks up. "Yes?" Tom says "You're not eligible to be drafted. As our one and only op-tech, you will be called upon by both teams as needed." David says "Probably a good idea. I'm still early in my field training." Tom continues. "Number 3...I have the first pick and Mitch has the second. Number 4...all picks are final unless James or Vandenburg wishes to overrule any of the picks we make. And Number 5...I still am in charge of tactical assignments, but on missions, myself or Mitch, depending on which team you get picked to, will be the leader. Understood?" The rest of the team nods or says "Yeah" in approval. Tom smiles. "Very well. With the first pick of the 2001 Storm Crew Draft, I select...Mike Walcott!" Mike gives a bit of a fist pump and walks up to Tom. Tom gives him a fist bump and Mike stands behind Tom. Mitch is next. "With the second pick of the 2001 Storm Crew Draft, Mitch Hayes will take...BIG COOP!" The rest of the team roars a bit as Coop strolls up to Mitch and gives him a fist bump of his own. "Thank god! I'm tired of Tom always running his mouth when I'm the real trash talker here!" Tom looks over at Chris. "Well, at least I know that my team's food bills will be a lot cheaper now that you're over there!" The rest of the team laughs as Chris just shakes his head. "Haters still gonna hate..." Tom looks back out to the remaining team members. "With the third pick of the draft, I'm looking for a man that's good in the clutch. A man that can improvise and a man that can shoot the head off of a gang leader in his sleep. That man...mi amigo from the Argentina mission, Eddie Alvarez!" Eddie lets out a bit of a cheer as he jogs up to Tom and Mike and slaps their hands. Over to the right of Tom, we see Mitch and Chris discussing their next pick. Finally, the conversation ends. "With the next pick of the draft, the next member of Team Hayes will be...Irish Charlie O'Doyle!" Everyone applauds as Charlie takes his spot casually behind Mitch and Chris. Tom even applauds the pick. "Very nice pick, Mitch, I was looking at him to round out the team." Tom looks out at Jerome and Jacob, who are the remaining two members that are left to be picked. "Hmm...the muscle or the redneck..." Jacob looks angry and starts flexing. He says "Hey man! I'm country strong!" Jerome then turns to Jacob and gives him a real intimidating look as he holds up his right arm and flexes. "Well, I'm street strong!" Tom looks over at James. "You got a wrestling ring anywhere in this facility? We might need to settle this with a good ol' fashioned rasslin' match!" James laughs as Vandenburg says "No, we have no wrestling ring here, although a match between those two might be rather interesting." Tom looks back over at the quarreling undrafted teammates. "Jacob..." Jacob stops flexing his muscles to look at Tom. "Yeah?" Tom says "You can drive or fly basically anything, right?" Jacob says "If it has wheels, it's my deal!" Tom nods his head. "Well, we all know no one on Mitch's team can fly or drive worth a crap, so go to Mitch's team. I'm taking Jerome!" Mitch's team starts barking at Tom in outrage as Jerome jogs over to give Tom, Mike, and Eddie a fistbump. Mitch calms everyone down on his team as Jacob walks over to them. "It's ok guys. We're the better team anyway, right?" The rest of Mitch's team nods and voices their approval. Tom says "You guys might be better at running your mouths, but it's the quiet ones you have to worry about! When the quarterly mission reports come out, we'll see who's laughing." James steps forward. "Alright! Alright! Keep in mind there will be some missions where all of you, with the exception of David, will be out in the field together, so let's keep the rivalry a friendly one, alright?" Tom looks at James and grins. "Yeah, after all...WHO ARE WE!" Everyone shouts "STORM CREW!"

**Play theme**: youtube dot com /watch?v=22Vz-ngNomA

**September 11, 2001**

**Time: 6:00 AM EST, **_**Washington Dulles Airport**_

Tom pulls up to Washington Dulles Airport with his older brother, Eddie. They stop at the dropoff point and get out of the car and go back to the trunk. Tom helps Eddie grab his luggage. After that, Tom gives Eddie a hug. "It was nice of you to stop by this weekend." Eddie says "You too, man. Nice to see you're doing well for yourself." Tom releases the hug. "Yeah, Kate was real happy to see you too." Eddie looks at Tom a little quizzically. "So, she still thinks you're Baltimore PD, right?" Tom nods his head. "I hate lying to her, but I was told to do so. I figured you were safe knowing what I do, being an ex-Navy SEAL and all." Eddie laughs. "Yeah, well, until my back betrayed me. I guess I can thank mom's side of the family for that." Tom asks "When does your flight leave again?" We see Eddie open up his American Airlines ticket. We see it's Flight 77. "Oh, in about two and a half hours. I'll give you a call when I get to Los Angeles." Tom nods his head. "Alright! Again, thanks for coming down! Tell Connie I said hi, I missed her cooking this time around!" Eddie laughs. "Will do. Catch you later." Eddie then walks into the airport as Tom gets in his car and leaves.

**Time: 9:02 AM EST, **_**Edgewood, MD- CIA Dark Cover Headquarters**_

James is preparing Storm Crew for a mission. "Our target is this building outside of Marseilles, France. It's a..." Just then, Vandenburg rushes in. "Gentlemen, please turn on the TV. The World Trade Center has just been hit by a plane. Jerome gets up and turns on the TV in the front left corner of the room as the rest of the team walks over that way. They see the first World Trade Center building smoking and the reporter explaining what's going on. They all watch as a second plane hits the second tower. Everyone roars in surprise when they see the ensuing explosion. Chris says "Oh man...those people..." Mitch says "Well, at least we know this all isn't an accident." Tom looks over at James. "Who would do this?" James shrugs as he remains focused on the TV with the rest of the team. Tom looks back on the TV, then hears his cell phone ring. He sees it's Eddie. Tom walks away to the front of the room. "Eddie, are you ok?" On the other end, we hear someone's labored breathing. "No...they got the plane..." Tom says "What? Eddie, who has the plane?" The rest of the team now looks over at Tom after that last comment. Eddie, struggling, says "They're Arabs...they stabbed me in the stomach...I tried to fight them..." Vandenburg asks "Tom, who is it?" Tom, a little confused on what to do, holds his hand over the mouthpiece. "It's my brother! He took off from Washington Dulles this morning on the way to Los Angeles! He says his plane was hijacked and he was stabbed!" David asks "What's the flight number?" Tom thinks for a moment, then gets back on the phone with Eddie. "You still there, big guy?" Eddie, struggling, says "Y...yeah..." Tom asks "What's your flight number?" Eddie says "American Airlines Flight 77..." Tom relays that info to David. Vandenburg says "I'll alert my father, see if there's anything we can do." Vandenburg runs out of the room as Tom gets back on the phone with Eddie. "Hang in there, my director's dad is on the Senate's Intelligence Committee, he'll help." Eddie says "There...there may not be time. They're going after the Pentagon." Tom's eyes open wide as he runs out of the room. He runs up the stairs and barges into Vandenburg's office. "THEY'RE GOING TO FLY INTO THE PENTAGON!" Vandenburg, who was on the phone, says "Ok, I'll relay it." Tom looks at him panicky. "Please...please tell me there's something they can do..." Vandenburg looks at him plainly. "My dad will do his best." Tom walks out of the room and down the stairs to the Storm Crew office. He gets back on the line with Eddie. "Eddie, they're working on it. Hang in there." Eddie now sounds really faint. "Tom...I'm bleeding out. I'm...not gonna..." Tom shakes his head as he starts to tear up. "Come on, Eddie, you were my rock growing up, you can't give in now." Eddie, still faint, says "Please...bury me back in Bunker...next to our grand...parents. Tell Connie...I...lo..." Then nothing as Tom waits for the words. "What? That you WHAT? EDDIE?" All Tom can hear now is the sound of the plane descending quickly and the screams of other passengers...then the explosion. Tom's mouth starts to quiver and the tears start to flow as he drops his phone in shock. He drops to his knees and buries his head in his hands. Mike walks over to Tom. "What happened?" Tom can't answer as he's sobbing. Then, on the TV, we hear an announcer say there's reports that a plane has flown into the Pentagon. Mike puts his arm around Tom, and Chris walks over and does the same. "I'm so sorry, man." Tom doesn't answer him either as he continues to cry out. Vandenburg walks in and notices Tom on his knees crying. He walks over to him as Mike and Chris back off. "There was nothing that could have been done. They just confirmed American Airlines Flight 77 crashed into the Pentagon. There's was also a fourth plane that was hijacked that just crashed somewhere in Pennsylvania." James says "Everyone, if you know of anyone that's on a plane this morning, please check on them." Tom looks up for the first time since dropping to his knees. "No! David! Can you access the flight manifests of the four planes?" David shrugs and says "Yeah, sure." Tom looks up at Vandenburg. "What were the other three flight numbers?" Vandenburg thinks for a moment. "American Airlines Flight 175, American Airlines Flight 11, and United Airlines Flight 93." David says "I'll get the report on who's on those planes." Tom, still a little weepy, gets to his feet. "Yes, give copies to Vandenburg so he can let everyone else in Dark Cover know. I'm sure they all will want to know if their loved ones were on those flights." Vandenburg tells the rest of Storm Crew. "In light of this tragedy, anyone that had a loved one killed today at the Pentagon or the World Trade Center or on one of these flights...will have all the time they need to grieve, effective immediately." Tom looks at James. "But what about this mission?" James says "Well, in light of your tragedy, you're not going to go." Tom looks over at Mitch. "Mitch, do you or anyone on your team know of anyone that was killed today or COULD have been killed today?" Mitch looks at his team. "Charlie?" Charlie shakes his head. "Jacob?" Jacob says "No, I can't think of anyone." Mitch looks over at Chris. "What about you, Coop?" Chris thinks for a bit. "I don't think so, no." Mitch looks at Luke. "What about you, Luke?" Luke shakes his head. "No..." Mitch looks back at Tom. "Our team can take this mission." David walks out of his op-tech room with papers in both hands. He walks up to Vandenburg. "Here's your copy of the passengers lists from both flights. I'll post our copies in here." Vandenburg walks out and we can hear him start to address everyone else at Dark Cover. Tom looks at David. "Anyone you knew at the World Trade Center or on one of these flights?" David thinks for a bit. "I knew a couple of computer friends that worked in the World Trade Center, but I know for a fact that they weren't there today, I talked to one of them on the way to work and today was their off day. I can help with this mission." Tom nods his head and says "Go post the lists." David tapes the lists up to a wall. The rest of the team gathers and looks at the lists, making sure there's no one they know. Tom is looking too, and when he runs into Eddie Falk's name on the list for Flight 77, he breaks down again and leaves the office.

_**Towson, MD- Tom's apartment**_

Tom arrives home and walks in the front door to see Kate watching the chaos on TV. She looks up at Tom, who looks visibly shaken. "Is Eddie ok?" Tom shakes his head slowly. "Pentagon...he was on the plane that hit the Pentagon." Kate breaks down herself as Tom walks over there and hugs her, crying himself. "He died before the impact, I think." Kate, with her head buried in Tom's shoulder, asks "How?" Tom, fighting back the tears, says "I talked to him on the plane." Kate picks her head off of Tom's shoulders. "Oh my...what...what was he saying?" Tom looks down. "He was stabbed in the stomach and was bleeding out. He knew they were going after the Pentagon somehow." Kate starts to sob again. Tom tells her "He wants to be buried next to my grandparents back in Bunker." Kate, in Tom's shoulder, says "He...he told you that?" Tom starts crying again. "Those were his last words. That, and he wanted me to tell Connie that he...loved her. And that was it. A few seconds later, the plane hit the Pentagon." Kate starts wailing. "I'm so sorry, Tom, I'm so sorry. He was a good man." Tom, now crying uncontrollably himself, says "He was a much better man than me. He was the best." Kate picks her head up. "Don't say that!" Tom, composing himself, says "He was always the rational one. If it weren't for him, I'd probably be in prison, or worse. He kept me in check growing up." Kate says "He was looking out for you. He loved you, that's what big brothers do!" Tom shakes his head. "And now, he's gone." Kate says "You still have Karen!" Tom says nothing as he stares off into space. We hear on the TV that all air traffic has been shut down in the United States. Tom shakes his head. "Well, our trip back to Bunker just became a whole lot more difficult." Kate asks Tom "Have you talked to Connie yet?" Tom shakes his head. "No, I raced home when I heard. Could you call her? You and her are relatively close." Kate nods her head and picks up the phone as Tom goes off to his bedroom.

Tom and Kate are packing up their bags for the trip when Tom gets a phone call. Tom walks over to his cell phone on his dresser and answers. "Hello?" We hear a woman's voice. "Tom? It's your sister Karen." She sounds like she has been crying. Tom responds. "Hey, I take it you've heard about Eddie." Karen says "Connie called me. She's an absolute wreck." Tom goes back to getting clothes ready. "Yeah, Kate talked to her earlier and basically said the same thing." Karen says "Connie tells me you talked to Eddie before he died." Tom sighs and stops what he's doing. "I did. I think he died before the impact." Karen starts to cry. "Connie told me that. Sounds like Eddie tried to do something about it and paid for it with his life." Tom hangs his head. "Yeah, that sounds like Eddie. Anyway, he's asked to be buried next to grandpa and grandma." Karen says "What's there to bury?" Tom says "Well, Kate suggested to Connie that she gather some of Eddie's possessions and pictures...things that we'd remember him by." Karen asks "What are you going to bring?" Tom says "Remember the three-legged race we won at the Azalea Festival when I was about 9?" Karen laughs. "Yeah, you two were determined to beat the Wideman brothers. Didn't you trip them out of the gate?" Tom laughs for the first time. "Come on Karen, you know better than to listen to false accusations!" Karen laughs back as Kate smiles at the fact that Tom is being Tom again. Tom continues. "Well, I'm bringing the trophy from that race. What about you, what are you bringing?" Karen says "Uhh...I'm bringing a picture of me and him right after he was born. I got to hold him at the hospital." Tom says "You sure about that?" Karen sighs. "Yeah, why?" Tom says "You really liked that picture. I would have thought you would like to have it around to look at still. But, I understand if that's your selection." Karen asks "I'll think about it some more. When are you coming down?" Tom says "Just as soon as we get done packing. Connie heading your way yet? I know she has to come from LA, so she's got a long trip too." Karen says "Yeah, she was on the road when I talked to her a little while ago." Tom says "Ok, well, we'll be off in a bit ourselves." Karen says "Be safe. Oh, and Tom?" Tom notices a bit of worry in her voice. "Yeah?" Karen says "Please don't get angry with me. Our dad is going to be there." Tom rolls his eyes. "Oh really? He can't be there for his kid when he's growing up, but he's there at the end. What a jackass!" Karen says "Don't say that about him! Please!" Tom says "Look, he was there for you for at least a part of your childhood, so good for you! But he wasn't there for me and he sure as shit wasn't there for Eddie, so he can kiss my ass! Just keep him away from me at the funeral, got it?" Tom then hangs up the phone before Karen can respond. Kate looks at him. "Your dad's going to be there, I take it." Tom nods his head. "The piece of shit has decided to surface for his son after he has died. Can you believe that?" Kate looks down, but doesn't say anything as she goes back to packing.

_**West Virginia**_

We catch up with Tom and Kate on the road. We see a sign that says "Welcome to West Virginia". Tom looks over to Kate. "Well, we only have 14 hours to go..." Kate chuckles. "Are you seriously going to try to drive straight through?" Tom looks back on the road and nods his head. "I don't think I could sleep if I wanted to. Besides, it's been a while since I took a long road trip like this." Kate looks like she remembers something. "Grand Canyon." Tom nods his head. "Yup, me and Eddie went out to the Grand Canyon the summer I graduated from high school. He was about to head off for the Navy and he said he always wanted to check out the Grand Canyon. So, we left in his Trans Am...man, I loved that car." Kate laughs. "Yeah, I remember that car. Big ol' firebird on the hood." Tom says "If there ever was a car that defined the 80's, that was it. Anyway, that was a 22 hour drive. But...we did it." Kate raises her eyebrows. "Twenty-two hours? How did you guys make it?" Tom laughs. "I was 18 and he was 20! Back then, you could do anything if you wanted to!" Kate asks "You know, we never went out to the Canyon when we lived in LA." Tom shrugs. "It was just one of those things where, if you've seen it once, you've seen it. So I didn't ask. Sorry about that." Kate pats Tom's shoulder. "That's ok. LA was enough to keep me entertained." Kate looks out the window as the sun starts to set in the distance. "Speaking of LA, I miss Coop's wife. I wonder how she's doing." Tom smiles. "I'm working on getting them transferred over to my team at the Baltimore PD." Kate's eyes light up. "Really?" Tom nods his head. "Yeah, they're going to let me run my own undercover unit. Mitch might be coming along too." Kate looks down. "I never cared much for his wife Cheryl...too conceited." Tom laughs. "Yeah, she had her moments." Tom goes back to driving. Kate thinks about something and laughs. "You know, I remember the first time I was attracted to you." Tom raises an eyebrow. "Oh really? And when was this?" Kate looks at Tom. "Freshman year of high school. I was dating Joey Wideman..." Tom rolls his eyes. "I kicked him and his brother's ass that one year in the three legged race..." Kate says "Azalea Festival, I know, I know. Anyway, I remember when you beat up those bullies that attacked Eddie the day before." Tom chuckles a bit. "Oh, I remember that!" Kate laughs a bit. "I'll never forget watching you on the front steps toss that little one down the steps with him in the trashcan! At that point, I was just like 'Wow, look at him...'" Tom looks over at Kate. "This information would have been helpful two years earlier before I finally had the guts to ask you out." Kate laughs. "Well...I'm sorry! Besides, why didn't you ask me out earlier?" Tom rolls his eyes. "Because we ran in different crowds. You were a cheerleader while I had my friends. You always dated the pretty boys, and I just always thought you were out of my league until that bonfire at Bobby Bradley's." Kate looks back out at the road. "I remember that night. That was a fun night. Well, you got me now, babe." Kate leans over and gives Tom a peck on the cheek. Tom says "Yeah, I'll never forget that day when I attacked those jackals that beat up Eddie. No one messed with me and my brother." Tom starts to tear up a bit. "My brother...he looked out for me growing up. And when I saw him come home that day beaten up...oh well, it's in the past." Tom wipes the tear from his eye and goes back to driving. He looks over at Kate, who has a somber look at Tom's moment of sadness. Tom tells her "Feel free to get some sleep." Kate reaches over and puts her hand on Tom's right hand. "I love you, Tom. If you need me to drive, just let me know." Tom leans over and gives her a peck on the lips. "I love you too, Kate." Tom goes back to his thoughts as Kate goes to sleep.

**September 12****th****, 2001, **_**Bunker, MO**_

Tom pulls into a driveway in Bunker, Missouri. The driveway leads up to a brown ranch-style home. We see a middle-aged woman with curly brown hair step out of the house as Tom and Kate exit the car. The woman walks up and hugs Tom. She looks like she's been crying. "It's good to see you, brother." Tom says "Good to see you too, Karen. How are you holding up?" Karen laughs a bit. "Well, I've been better to say the least!" Tom nods his head as Karen hugs Kate. Tom walks away to take luggage out of the back. "Is Connie here?" Karen shakes her head. "No, not yet. She should be getting here any minute now." Tom pulls out his bag and Kate's bag. Kate walks over to Tom and takes her bag from Tom. Karen says "Come on in, guys. Are you hungry?" Tom looks at Kate and nods. "Yeah, actually." Karen tell them "I made some of grandma's chicken." Tom and Kate walk in to the house behind Karen.

We later see Tom and Kate at a dinner table with Karen and a young boy, about 6 years old. The boy is fussing a bit with his meal. Karen says "Come on, Danny, eat your green beans!" The boy throws down his fork in anger and runs off. Tom watches, but doesn't say anything. Karen looks over at Tom. "He's been like this since he heard his uncle died yesterday." Tom nods his head. "Give him his space. He's a Falk." Karen and Kate chuckle a bit. Karen looks over at Tom. "Everything is set for tomorrow. The service will be at noon." Tom continues to eat. "I wish they could have found his remains...you know, give him a proper burial." Karen says "I called about that and they said everything was incinerated." Tom sighs a bit, but says nothing. Karen says "You talked to Eddie before he died. What all did he have to say?" Tom shakes his head as he takes a drink from a glass filled with juice. "Not much. He told me they had the plane, they were going to fly it into the Pentagon, that he was bleeding out, that he wanted to be buried next to his grandparents, and then..." Tom stops talking and starts to tear up. Karen reaches across and grabs Tom's hand. Karen says "That's when he stopped talking." Tom shook his head. "No, he said to tell Connie that he...and then, that was it. The plane crashed a few seconds later, but I think he was gone by then." Karen nods her head. "He loved Connie. I feel so sorry for her. He was probably saying he loved her." Tom, who isn't doing a good job hiding his tears, nods as he wipes off his face. "Karen, I miss him so much. He was the yin to my yang growing up. To say he deserved a better fate is an understatement. If the Navy hadn't medically discharged him, he'd be off saving the world after yesterday's events." Karen says "He was always about doing the right thing." Tom nods his head and composes himself. As he's going back to his meal, he asks "So, have you heard from my so-called father today?" Karen sighs at the turn this conversation took. "Tom, I wish you would..." Tom drops his fork and looks up angry. "Karen, the guy loved the bottle more than he loved me growing up and you freaking know it!" Kate stands up and puts her hands on Tom's shoulders. "Calm down! We're all here! You don't need to yell!" Tom takes a few deep breaths. Karen relaxes a bit too as she says "To answer your question, yes, he called today. He wanted to know if you got in ok. You know, Tom, he's cleaned up the past couple years." Tom laughs. "Still doesn't change a damn thing with me and him. Anyway, is he still living at that Vietnam vets home up in the city?" Karen says "No, as a matter of fact, he met someone and is living with her." Tom laughs out loud. Karen asks "What?" Tom, still laughing, says "That poor woman doesn't know what she's in for with that piece of shit. One relapse and he'll be shaking her down for booze money." Karen puts her head in her hands. "It's not like that anymore..." Tom replies "Well, he stopped being my father when he dumped me, you, and Eddie onto our grandparent's laps. He just better give me space at the funeral tomorrow. Don't worry, I'll give him his. But, if he dares approach me, I'm not going to give him the time of day. And you can tell him that when you talk to him later." Kate says "Please don't make a scene tomorrow, Tom." Tom looks over at Kate. "Hey, my grandmother always told me not to talk to strangers...so I won't." Karen gets up from the table angrily and walks over the the kitchen. Tom looks down and sighs as he stands up and walks over to Karen. "Look, I'm sorry. You know how I feel about that man. And I know you still hold love in your heart for him, but I'm telling you, I think you're chasing a unicorn with this guy." Karen shakes her head. "You can think what you want. I've just been around him enough lately to know he's not a bad man anymore. Maybe if you were around more..." Tom says "You know I can't with my career. But even if he turned into Mother Teresa overnight, I still can't forgive him for abandoning me." Karen sighs, but says nothing. Tom then asks "Speaking of work, is there a phone I can use here? I gotta check in with the Baltimore PD." Karen wipes her eyes and says "You and Kate can sleep in the bedroom at the end of the hall to the left. There's a phone in there you can use." Tom looks at her funny. "I thought that was you and Dan's room?" Karen shakes her head. "After he left me and Danny, I can't sleep in there anymore." Tom looks like he has something he smart he wants to say about that last statement, but holds back as he walks into the bedroom and closes and locks the door.

Tom punches a number into a cordless phone. Back at CIA Dark Cover, we see James Lennox answer the phone. "Hello?" Tom says "James, it's Falk." Lennox says "Tom, did you make it to Missouri?" Tom sighs. "Just got in. The funeral is tomorrow, and I don't plan on lingering here much after that, so I'll be back before you know it." Lennox says "Don't worry, take as long as you like. A few of us here at Dark Cover had to take off." Tom asks "How many?" James says "At least 5 or 6 others, including a couple general op-techs, so we've had David helping out the rest of the office if that's ok. Mitch said that was fine." Tom says "That's fine, I understand. He's your employee before he is mine. Speaking of David and Mitch, how is the mission in France going?" James says "Very good. David helped forge up some ID's for them to use when they infiltrate the banquet. I have to say, Tom, I'm sorry for doubting David when you wanted to bring him on. He's been an asset." Tom smiles a bit. "Good, and he's coming along on his training, so he might be field ready in a few months. Has the banquet happened yet?" James shakes his head. "No, Mitch and his team will be going in in a couple hours. Everything looks set to go, though." Tom says "Ok, if you think I should know anything, please call me at this number I called you at. Say you're a lieutenant with the Baltimore PD if a woman asks you."

James laughs. "Yeah, yeah, I know about your team's cover. That's fine. I'll try to give you your privacy, though, this mission looks routine and I think we can handle it." Tom says "Ok, well, wish the boys good luck from me, would ya? I forgot to say that before I left." James says "Will do. Oh, and please accept my condolences for your brother. I forgot to tell you that before you left." Tom smiles. "I appreciate it. Catch you later." Tom hangs up as we hear a knock on the door. Tom puts the phone back on it's base and walks over to the door and opens it. Karen is standing outside. "Everything ok?" Tom says "Yeah, my team was going on an undercover sting tonight and I just wanted to check in on the mission. What's up?" Karen says "Connie just got in, but she's staying at her parents for the time being. She'll meet us at the cemetery tomorrow." Tom nods his head. "I understand." Karen says "I also did some thinking about what I should bury with Eddie's casket and you're right, I'll probably bury the birthday card he made for me when he was 8 years old." Tom nods his head. "Why the change?" Karen says "You were right on the phone. I like that picture of me holding Eddie and I want to keep it to remember him by. In fact, I'll see if I can get it blown up into an 8 by 10." Tom smiles. "I always liked that picture too. You looked so happy to have a little brother finally!" Karen laughs. "Yeah, I'll never forget the days Eddie and you were born." Tom smiles, then yawns. Karen says "You look so tired, did you drive straight through?" Kate, walking by, says "Yeah, I offered to help drive, but Tom just kept at the wheel." Tom says "I had to keep active. I didn't want to dwell on my brother too much." Karen, noticing Tom's looking tired, says "Well, it's got to be at least 30 hours since you slept, you can take a nap if you like." Tom nods his head. "I think I'll do that. Kate, if you want to use the car to see your family, by all means go for it." Kate shrugs. "Yeah, I probably should see my mother since I'm down here." Tom walks up to Kate in the hallway and gives her a small kiss. "Tell her I said hi." Kate laughs and slaps Tom on the shoulder. "Oh, she'll just LOVE that. She still hates you for whisking her daughter away to the big city." Tom smiles. "Just say hi anyway. Let me know what she says." Kate just smiles and shakes her head and walks away as Tom looks at Karen. "Ok, I'll see you tomorrow, then." Karen gives Tom a hug. "I'm glad you're here." Tom says nothing as he keeps hugging Karen to end the scene.

_**Marseilles, France**_

A little later, in Marseilles, France, we see Mitch putting a vial of something into a padded luggage compartment. The rest of his team appears to be celebrating a mission well done. Chris stands up. "Man, that mission couldn't have been easier if we tried!" Mitch snaps the luggage shut and looks at Chris. "Coop, we're just that good at our jobs!" Charlie holds up his beer and starts speaking in his thick Irish accent. "Fellas, I'd like to make a toast!" We see Mitch walk over to a nearby table to grab his beer and join the rest of the team in holding up their beers...well, except for Luke, who has a soda because he's too young to drink. Charlie says "To a job well done...and to the rest of us at Dark Cover who had to endure the loss of a fallen friend or family member yesterday." Mitch says "The success of this mission goes out to those victims. To the fallen." The members clang their glasses together and they each take a drink. As Chris sits down, he asks "Man, I wonder how Tom's doing with his brother dying and all. I liked Eddie, he was always as cool as the other side of the pillow." Mitch chuckles. "Yeah, Eddie was very even-headed. Tom actually called Lennox earlier today wanting to know how we were doing. Apparently, he's handling things about as well as to be expected." Jacob says "His brother was a SEAL, right?" Mitch says "Yeah." Jacob says "I wonder why Tom never tried to get Eddie to work with him." Chris shakes his head. "Naw, Eddie wouldn't have liked how we did business in the Anti-Cartel. Besides, it was always his dream to be a SEAL." Mitch continues. "Plus, he was medically discharged from the SEALS with a bad back. He wouldn't have made the cut here." Jacob nods his head, but says nothing. Mitch walks over and picks up the phone, but notices it's dead. "Hmm, that's funny." Chris asks "What's up?" Mitch says "The phone is dead, I was just going to give reception a notice to give us a wakeup call tomorrow. I guess I gotta go do it myself." Mitch walks out of the room and down the hallway. As he gets towards the end of the hallway, he's ambushed by two men wearing nothing but black. One of them sticks a needle in Mitch's neck and Mitch goes limp and unconscious.

Mitch wakes up to find himself tied up in a chair with the two men who grabbed him. Mitch starts trying to wrestle out of the chair. "WHERE AM I?" Just then, Elena Derevko walks in from the other room. "Mitch, you never call!" Mitch looks up at Elena. "You again..." Elena smiles. "Yeah...me. Did you lose my card?" Mitch says "Oh, I still have it...just in case I feel like turning you in." Elena fires back "But you haven't. If you were really so against me, you would have turned me in already." Mitch starts to speak, but says nothing. Elena smiles. "Thought so. I see you led your team into the basement where I kept the serum. Good work, by the way." Mitch looks up. "So, you ARE Covenant." Elena smirks. "You can say, I'm THE Covenant." Mitch laughs. "Wow, you just gave yourself away and I didn't even have to try. Guess I can turn you in now." Elena shakes her head. "Oh, the number on that card is just a number that I made up. That number goes to this cute little couple in Naples, Florida. I knew you wouldn't willingly call in, but I tapped their line just in case. Plus, I was just waiting to hear the CIA kicked down their doors looking for a terrorist leader." Mitch rolls his eyes as Elena continues. "I did sense some resentment towards Tom when we met before, so I just wanted to check in and see how things are going between you two." Mitch looks down. "He's at his brother's funeral, you twisted bitch." Elena says in feign concern "Aww, what happened?" Mitch looks up. "His brother was on the plane that hit the Pentagon yesterday." Elena starts to pace. "He must be tore up about it, then." Mitch says nothing. Elena stops pacing. "So, a tragedy creates an opportunity for you to shine. And shine you did. Getting that vial was no easy task." Mitch rolls his eyes. "No shit, lady." Elena laughs. "Of course. That's because you're a pro at what you do. What do you think Tom would have done in this mission?" Mitch chuckles a bit, but says nothing. Elena continues. "Yeah, he probably would have found some way to screw this up. He was too aggressive in the Argentina mission, and in Hungary last month, he almost got poor Jerome killed because he trusted a sketchy informant. Come on Mitch, you have to see that Tom is not fit to lead Storm Crew. Just imagine where his mind will be now that his brother is dead." Mitch looks up at Elena. "He still has a few things to learn, I'll give him that." Elena lets out a little laugh. "Learn? He's a grown man, he is what he is. Oh, speaking of that Argentina mission, does he ever bring up that female agent?" Mitch says nothing. Elena says "Well, I've been following her too and apparently, they still keep in touch. Isn't Tom married?" Mitch looks angry, but still says nothing. Elena says "And yet, you say you're still willing to work under this man." Mitch looks up. "Ok, let's say I supplant Tom as leader. What do YOU get out of it?" Elena turns to Mitch a little surprised. "Does this mean you're willing to consider my offer?" Mitch shakes his head. "My question first." Elena nods her head. "I can't answer your question at this time. Now, answer my question." Mitch looks down. He closes his eyes and looks like he's thinking hard. "Let's just pretend I say yes. What do I get out of it and what would I need to do?" Elena sits down across from Mitch. "I know you have some serious gambling debts that you haven't alerted the CIA on...some debts to some awfully nasty people. As part of your service, I'd see that those debts would be paid, giving you peace of mind knowing that your family will be safe." Mitch looks at Elena confused. "How do you know about my debts?" Elena laughs. "I have my ways. Plus, I may or may not know of some of your debt holders." Mitch looks outside the window to his right. "What would I need to do?" Elena pats Mitch on the knee. "Now we're at the good part. All I'm looking for is information. Your missions, your plans...anything that you can provide about the day-to-day operations of Storm Crew. I would, of course, appreciate anything you can give me about Tom Falk." Mitch shakes his head. "I still don't understand what your obsession with Falk is." Elena smiles. "In time." Mitch looks down. "You know, the past few years have been hard on me. Both personally and financially. And you're right...it kills me to know Tom has passed me up when I'm a better leader than him." Mitch sighs, then continues. "All you want is information. That's it?" Elena says "Yes. In time, my endgame will be revealed, and as a reward for your cooperation, I'll make sure you're pulled out of harms way when the time comes to go after Falk. We'll handle that part." Mitch looks back out of the window, and then closes his eyes, looking a little pained. Then he opens them again and looks Elena directly in the eyes. "I'll do it. Just tell me how to get a hold of you." Elena orders the guards to free Mitch from his seat. Mitch stands up and so does Elena as she hands him a card. "This card, I assure you, has the correct contact information. When you call, ask for the supervisor. They'll know how to route the call. I'd like for you to check in at least once a week." Mitch nods his head, then looks down. Elena pats Mitch on the shoulder. "You're doing the right thing. You were born to lead that team." Mitch nods, then starts walking towards the door, still a little unsure if he just did the right thing after all. He then looks back. "I do need to get to the receptionist's desk to set our courtesy call in the morning and also let her know our phone doesn't work." Elena says "Oh, your phone works now. And the staff here is terrible, so I'll give you the call. What time would you like me to call?" Mitch stares at Elena for a while, then says "6 in the morning." Elena smiles. "It will be done. I look forward to working with you." Mitch nods his head reluctantly and then walks out of the room. He walks back down the hall to his hotel room and opens the door. The rest of the team looks surprised to see him finally. Chris asks "What happened to you?" Mitch looks at him for a second, then walks over and sets a couple of casino chips on the table. "Played a few hands down in the casino. Couldn't resist." Chris laughs. "Always the gambling man. Guys, don't ever play poker with Mitch, he always rigs the deck against you." Mitch gives a little smirk, but says nothing as he sits on the end of his bed, thinking about his meeting just now with Elena. The, he sighs and says "Ok guys, I set our wake-up call for 6, so we should get some sleep." We see the rest of the team get up from their chairs as Mitch looks away from them, still a little unsure about going through with Elena's offer.

**September 13****th****, 2001- **_**Bunker, MO**_

At the funeral, we see Tom overlooking Eddie's casket, which is now filled with various pictures, items, and mementos from the rest of the crowd gathered. To the left of his casket is a large picture of Eddie in his Navy uniform. Tom looks to be lost in thought until he gets a tap on the shoulder. Tom turns around and sees a man in his 60's. He's clean-shaved and is looking at Tom eye to eye with a somewhat stocky build. Tom looks at the man blankly. "What do you want?" The man gives out a small smile. "Hello son." Tom just keeps looking at his dad blankly. His dad continues. "I...I know you don't like me very much, but I just want you to know that I love you. And I'm sorry." The man's lip starts to quiver, but Tom is unfazed. "You know, as you've gotten older, your acting skills have gotten better. How long have you worked on this role of a caring father? How many hours did you spend staring in the mirror, hoping that I would buy that line of bullshit you just spewed my direction?" Tom's dad looks down and starts crying harder. "What I did you you was..." Tom cuts him off. "TO ME, TO KAREN, AND TO YOUR OTHER SON!" The rest of the funeral crowd looks at Tom and his dad now. Tom's dad lifts his head up, but is trembling. "I'm not a good person and I know that. When your mom died...I...maybe you'll understand one day." Tom gets in his dad's face. "What? How it feels to abandon your children for booze?" Tom's dad takes a deep breath and composes himself for a bit. "To lose the woman in your life that kept you alive after seeing and experiencing unimaginable pain and suffering." Tom shakes his head. "Were we not worth your time? Huh? Were we not worth raising?" Tom's dad starts to cry again. "It's not that simple..." Karen walks up to Tom. "Hey dad, come sit with me." Tom still keeps his gaze at his dad. His dad looks at Karen, then back at Tom. "Anyway, I know the role your brother played in your life and I'll miss him as much as you do. As for us, I don't expect you to ever love me again. I just hope you'll forgive me someday." Tom's dad walks away with Karen as Tom keeps his angry gaze at him. Kate eventually walks over to Tom. "We're about to start, come sit down." Tom keeps staring at his dad as he takes his seat.

A little later, Tom heads to the podium to speak. At the podium, Tom takes a long look at Eddie's blown up picture. He smiles. "You know, my brother is living proof that dreams do come true. He always wanted to be a SEAL. And for six years, he got to live that dream. Wait, I should take that back..." Tom looks out at Connie. "...he got to live two dreams. One being a SEAL, and the other having a good woman at his side." Connie smiles, then starts to cry a bit. "Eddie Falk was a man who lived his life the way he wanted it lived. No matter what adversity he faced, he'd still manage to be himself. There was nothing complicated about Eddie, if he liked you, he liked you. And if he didn't, he didn't. If you respected him, he respected you. But no matter what, he'd always give you a chance. Unless you're me, in which case you got many chances." The crowd laughs a bit as a smile creeps on Tom's face. "Growing up, I gave Eddie many chances to disown me and distance himself from me. Whether it was punching that basketball player's face in 4th grade or getting kicked out of the youth baseball league, Eddie would always be there as the voice of reason. When I got revenge on some bullies that beat him up one time, I did it because I loved him. And while I accomplished my goal, Eddie gave me some sound advice afterwards." Tom looks down and laughs. "He told me...'Tom, life isn't some monster that you have to conquer every single day. The key to life is waking up and taking that first breath. After that, just let everything fall into place, because you just won the battle with that first breath.' I'd like to say his advice sank in right away, but as I got older, I thought about that comment a lot and now, it makes a lot of sense." Tom pauses a bit to gather his thoughts. "You know, they say that a lot of what makes you a person is the people you associate yourself with. Well, I can tell you for a fact that if I hadn't had Eddie in my life, my life would be dramatically different. Without good people in your life, you're out there fending for yourself, and anything can happen. I can think of no better role model in life than Eddie. And while I'm sad he's no longer with us, I am glad to have had Eddie in my life not just as a brother, but as a friend. And I think we're all that much better for having had Eddie in our lives." Tom hangs his head and walks down from the podium. A pastor comes up to conclude the service.

**September 15****th****, 2001- **_**Edgewood, MD- CIA Dark Cover Headquarters**_

(_Ending episode music: Alice in Chains- "Rooster")_

We see Tom get off the elevator at CIA Dark Cover. As he walks through the lobby, he gets various condolences from other team members. Tom looks up and he notices Vandenburg and Lennox looking down at him. Tom stops and gives them a simple headnod and says "I'm back." Lennox gives Tom a headnod as Vandenburg just smiles. Tom walks in the office doors of Storm Crew to see the rest of the team at their stations. They all look up, including Mitch, who gives Tom a somewhat remorseful look, but tries to hide it. Mike walks up to Tom. "Surprised to see you here. I thought you'd still be with your family." Tom smiles and pats Mike on the shoulder. "Are you kidding me? I am with my family." Mike smiles as Tom looks at everyone with a bit of a grin. He asks "Alright guys, what's the latest?" as the episode ends.

**Next episode: "Blind"**


	9. Chapter 6: Blind

**BLIND**

**Day period of episode- February 2002 (Towards the middle of Season 1 of Alias)**

_**Edgewood, MD- CIA Dark Cover Headquarters**_

We see the Storm Crew team at their desks in their office. We overlook Tom reading emails. He comes across one and starts laughing. Mitch, seated to his right, looks over. "What?" Chris, seated to the front of Mitch up the right row, says "He must have got that joke about Bin Laden I sent." Tom says "No, I got that earlier. It wasn't bad." Chris says "What? I laughed for 10 minutes at that!" Eddie, from the left row seated to the front of Mike, says "That was pretty funny!" Chris claps his hands. "See, now there's a man that can understand humor!" Tom stands up. "Guys, Nadia Santos, one of our helpers a few months ago from Argentine Intelligence, just informed me that the remnants of the Los Conqistadores have been completely wiped away. In her report, she tells me that after the Mags seized their compound, the Conquistadores tried to reform somewhere in a much, much more penetrable compound on the north outskirts of the city. Well, last night, the Mags completely destroyed them. They're done, and she unofficially thanks us for our help!" The rest of the team claps in approval. Just then, James Lennox walks in. "What's the celebration for?" Tom turns around. "I was just telling the boys that Storm Crew has aided in the destruction of an Argentinian gang. The Conquistadores won't be conquering anything anymore." James smiles. "Well, that's good news. But, this only means the Mags will be that much stronger." Tom shrugs. "The Mags usually keep their problems within the borders of Argentina, so whether they're stronger or not is of no consequence to us." James shrugs. "I guess. Well, Argentinian gangs are not our problem. We have a new one." We see James type something up on a computer to the left of the room, which causes an image to display on the projection screen. James starts off. "Doctor Enzo Markovic. He's a Covenant doctor who, reportedly, has figured out a way to clone humans." Tom gives a sarcastic chuckle. "Holy crap! I just read yesterday we landed on the moon!" James looks confused. "I don't get the joke." Tom looks at James. "Come on, doctors have been cloning sheep for years now. And it's been long suspected that humans could be cloned too. I don't understand what the big deal is." James shakes his head. "This technology Markovic is using is beyond anything that we thought we knew. Apparently, he's able to literally rewrite a living person's DNA and morph that person into any person he wants, provided he has the DNA of the person he wants copied. For example, today, you're Tom Falk. Tomorrow, you could be James Lennox if Markovic gets a hold of both of us." Tom nods his head as Mitch asks "I've heard...rumors that something like this was taking place." James looks at Mitch funny. "And you haven't told us of these rumors because...why?" Mitch shrugs. "The info wasn't concrete enough. I mean, come on James, you don't chase after every single whisper you hear in the field. That's all I heard...whispers." James asks "What exactly have you heard?" Mitch shrugs again. "Again, just whispers. An informant made mention to me that the Covenant was doing some things with human DNA lately, but he wasn't sure where or for what purpose. I guess this would be it." James nods his head, but still doesn't look satisfied. "Anyway, we need to get any and all information on his plan." Tom asks "You want us to shake the usual trees for information?" James shakes his head. "No, I've done that for you." James hits something on his computer, which displays a warehouse. "This warehouse is in Cuba. We believe that this is where Markovic has been doing some of his experiments. We need to send a team to infiltrate this warehouse and recover any data related to this project. Also, the team that does needs to make this project their permanent responsibility until Markovic is captured and we know all there is to know about his project. The other team will be focusing on all non-related duties from here on out." Tom looks over at Mitch. "Do you have a preference?" Mitch shrugs. "Doesn't matter to me." James nods his head. "Mitch, your team has been making headway on the nuclear fuel stuff. Stay on that. Tom's team can handle this." Tom nods his head. "I think we're up to the challenge." Mitch says nothing, but looks like he could be happier than he is. James nods his head and says "I also want to inform you that Vandenburg has been very happy with what he's been seeing out of this group the past couple months. He tells me that the Senate Intelligence Committee...namely his dad...seems to think this has been a wise investment after all, and he owes a lot of that to you guys. So, congrats!" We some hand clapping and back slapping as James walks to Tom's desk and sets a file on his desk. He then leans into Tom's ear. "I need to see you when we get a chance." Tom nods and walks out of the room with James.

In James's office, Tom takes a seat across from James's desk after he shuts the door behind him. James, across the desk from Tom, says "I'm concerned about Mitch." Tom shrugs. "What's there to be concerned about? He's done his job in the field well." James turns away from Tom. "Yes, and all of his missions are getting done. I'm just worried about his conduct in the field." Tom now looks concerned. "How come? Mitch is usually VERY focused on what he does." James says "Maybe too focused." Tom chuckles. "What?" James thinks for a moment, then says "After Mitch files his de-briefs, I've been double checking them with Chris." Tom folds his hands and now looks irritated. "Why am I just now hearing about this?" James leans forward. "Because if it turned out to be nothing, it wouldn't have been worth telling you about. But, it's gotten to the point where something might need to be done." Tom shakes his head. "What has Chris been saying?" James says "Well, there are...moments...in their mission where Mitch seems to disappear for a while. He usually has a reason, but routine things seem to be taking a while. Going to the bathroom seems to be the most frequent excuse of his." Tom throws his hands up disgusted. "So the guy has some Mylanta Moments! He's over 40 years old!" James shakes his head. "It's not just that. In his most recent health checkup, he's physically healthy, but the doctor did note a higher blood pressure of late, a sign of stress, like he's got something on his mind. Now, I know you two have butted heads recently..." Tom shakes his head and cuts him off. "Mitch is a stubborn man, as am I. We're bound to clang heads at some point." James sighs. "Well, like you said, it may be nothing, but I just wanted to let you know I'm going to be watching him a little closer from now on. I know you vouched for him when you brought him in..." Tom cuts him off. "...and that's what's got me worried. Look, he taught me everything I know about what to do in the field. And what happened to him in the Anti-Cartel was pure baloney. Besides, I don't know anyone else suited to be a leader like Mitch." James leans back. "What about Mike? You mentioned him a few months ago." Tom looks down and shrugs. "He'd be my first guess too, but he doesn't really fit the mold of a leader, at least not yet. He's always quiet and he's always been more of a follower." James says "Maybe you just haven't given him the chance." Tom snaps his head up at James. "That's not true, he's led missions for me in the Anti-Cartel, but that was small-scale stuff." James asks "How did he do?" Tom thinks for a bit, then nods his head. "As a matter of fact, really good actually. I dunno, maybe he could lead Mitch's team." James stands up. "Well, I'm not looking to make a move anytime soon. But, I just wanted to let you know in case something does come up." Tom stands up and shakes James's hand. "Thanks for giving me the heads up."

**Play theme**: youtube dot com /watch?v=22Vz-ngNomA

Tom walks out of James's office and looks down on the ground floor to see David Marston talking with a smaller, brown-haired woman with glasses on the main floor. Tom smirks and mutters to himself "Man, he just won't leave that poor girl alone." Tom walks down the stairwell and walks over to David and the woman. Tom looks at the woman, then David. "Hey, I need to go over some mission details...that is, unless Lisa here would be willing to free you for a few minutes." Lisa laughs. "Oh, I guess! We were just talking about the first Lord of the Rings movie." Tom looks at David. "I thought that movie was boring as hell." David shakes his head as Lisa's face beams. "I told you, David! Nothing happened, just a whole lot of walking!" David looks at Lisa. "It gets better in the second and third movies! Trust me, I read the books!" Lisa just shakes his head. Tom looks over at David. "Ok, let's go, Frodo." Lisa giggles a bit, much to the chagrin of David as he starts to follow Tom into the Storm Crew room and into David's op-tech room. Tom closes the door. David asks "What do you need?" Tom laughs. "Actually, I think the question should be...what do YOU need?" David asks "What do you mean?" Tom shakes his head. "You have been hounding that poor girl out there since she arrived a month ago. Have you even asked her out yet?" David shyly looks down at his shoes. "You think she'd go out with me?" Tom looks surprised. "Uh, how did you get your first wife to go out with you?" David shrugs. "We played a lot of Everquest." Tom looks at David blankly. David shrugs. "We went on a lot of dungeon missions together, and..." Tom starts waving his hands. "Ok, ok, ok, I get the picture." David nods his head. Tom folds his arms. "Come on, just ask her out! What's the worst that can happen?" David shakes his head. "She'll reject me and it'll be uncomfortable to work with her anymore." Tom shakes his head. "No, David. I don't think she'd think badly..." David cuts Tom off. "Look, I don't want to talk about it. Was there anything else you needed?" Tom nods his head. "That's fine, that's fine. Anyway, do you know anything about this security system that we'll be encountering in Cuba?" David nods his head and asks "Do you have a library card?" Tom shrugs. "Yeah, I do. Why?" David says "Give me the card." Tom pulls out his wallet and hands him a card. David then swipes it through a keypad and punches some keystrokes in on his keyboard. David then hands Tom back the card along with a soccer ball magnet. "Stick this magnet on the side of the keypad, wait 5 minutes until the light at the center turns green, then swipe your library card, and you'll be in." Tom laughs. "Seems rather simple." David shrugs. "Their system is about as basic as a computer still running Windows 3.1. Piece of cake." Tom nods his head and smiles. "Good work." Tom gives David a somewhat rough slap on the shoulder and walks out, leaving David to rub his shoulder a bit.

Tom walks out of the Storm Crew office and looks over at Lisa, who gives him a bit of a wave. Tom smiles and waves back, then looks up at James Lennox's office on the second floor, then back at Lisa. A cocky grin starts to form and he mutters "Yeah...that's it." Tom runs up the stairs quickly and knocks on James's door. James looks up from his desk and motions him in. James asks "What is it?" Tom closes the door, and then looks at James with a cocky smirk. "I've got a question about that tech girl you hired about a month back." James shrugs. "Lisa? What about her?" Tom sits down quickly. "My op-tech, David, has a kid. He's a single dad and he hasn't dated anyone since the mother of his kid divorced him. Anyway, he's got the real hots for Lisa, but he wouldn't ask her out if I put a gun to his head." James shrugs. "What does this have to do with me?" Tom smiles. "James, what if I were to propose a little inter-office mission with us two as the coordinators?" James thinks for a moment. "Why do I get the sense that I'm not going to like what you're going to say?" Tom smirks and says "We need to set David and Lisa up on a blind date with each other." James laughs and yells "What? Come on, Tom! I can't do that!" Tom sits up in his chair. "Look, David's a good guy and I see how he is around Lisa. He just needs a little...help to make this work." James looks down and thinks for a moment, then asks "What would I do?" Tom says "You'll talk to Lisa, tell her you have a friend that you'd like to set her up on a blind date with, and give her the details on where to meet. That's all!" James sits back and thinks for a bit. "I don't know, I mean I hired her..." Tom leans forward. "Lisa will go for it. She's the type that might think a blind date would be fun, and she trusts you. Besides, I'm 99% certain the attraction between her and David is mutual." James asks "Ok, where is this date going to be and when?" Tom says "Well, I had a reservation in place this Friday for me and my wife to eat at the Charleston Restaurant in Baltimore, but she's going out with Coop and Mitch's wives for a night on the town. I'll just switch the reservations to their names. 7 o'clock, and they have a window table, so we can check in on them." James laughs. "You want us to eavesdrop on their meeting?" Tom nods his head. "Hey, I have to look out for my boy. I just want to make sure things are going ok." James shakes his head, still laughing. "Well, Lisa's car is in the shop, so I'll have to take her and drop her off." Tom claps his hands. "Perfect! When you park your car, I'll meet you and we can listen in together. I'll get there a little early to bug the table." James thinks for a bit, then looks down and starts shaking his head. "Tom, you're crazy! But I like it. I'll get Lisa to go along with it. In the meantime, you should go back to prepping for the Cuba mission, you leave tomorrow." Tom nods his head. "Gotcha. Thanks for the help!" Tom walks out of James's office whistling as James just shakes his head in astonishment.

Tom goes running into David's office and flings the door open, much to the surprise of David, who was working on something with his computer. "Jesus! You scared me!" Tom closes the door and locks it. "David, are you doing anything Friday night?" David shakes his head. "No..." Tom asks "Can you get your babysitter to take care of Davie? I'll pay for it if I have to." David nods his head. "Yeah, she should be available. What's going on?" Tom says "I was talking with James, and he knows a girl that would be PERFECT for you. We set you up a blind date for 7 o'clock Friday night at the Charleston Restaurant in Baltimore. And you're going, I already paid for your steaks!" David laughs. "What? I was gonna ask Lisa out..." Tom cuts him off. "What? When?" David says "Uh, well..." Tom nods his head. "Just what I thought. Anyway, just give this girl James has a chance and if you don't like her, then you can give Lisa a shot." David looks down. "Oh, I don't know..." Tom puts his hand on David's shoulder. "Look. My best friend in high school had a crush on this cheerleader, but he was convinced that she wouldn't go out to prom with him. So, I set him up on a date with a chick he wasn't really interested in. The following Monday at school, he asked the cheerleader to prom and she said yes! David, he had to see that he really liked the cheerleader by not accepting another woman into his life. Trust me, this will work!" David looks up and gives Tom a sheepish smile. "Sure, I'll give it a shot. Besides, if I told Coop I turned down free steak, he'd probably turn me into a pretzel." Tom laughs. "You're probably right about that. Anyway, I'll let James know it's on. And you're right about Coop, free food is the gospel with him." Tom walks out of the op-tech room and as he runs by the computer desks, he yells out "Mike! Eddie! Jerome! Luke! Time to talk about the mission!" They look up as they see Tom stick his head out the front door. Tom looks out at James, who's talking with Lisa, presumably about the blind date. Tom gives James a thumbs up, which James acknowledges with a headnod.

Tom then walks back into the office as his team is looking at him funny. Tom asks "What?" Mike asks "What the hell was that about?" Tom shakes his head. "Just a secret mission me and James are working up. Need to know basis." Jerome asks "Does it involve us?" Tom smiles. "Nope. Anyway, it's not important now, we need to discuss Cuba." Mike opens up the big file that James gave to Tom. "It looks like there might be a decent force that is guarding the place, but nothing the five of us can't handle. We should stay together for this one, though." Tom nods his head. "I agree. Once we secure the place, I do want Luke and Jerome to go on lookout, just in case the Covenant has any reinforcements nearby ready to ambush. They've surprised us before." Luke and Jerome nod their heads. Tom then shows the magnet that David gave him earlier. "This and my Baltimore Public Library card will get us into the building. After that, Mike, do you feel comfortable with their computer systems to get any information we can from them?" Mike nods his head. "Yeah, after the last mission, I have a good basis on what to expect, assuming that they use the same system throughout their entire network." Mitch turns from his seat. "Based on the intel I've received from the Covenant, they do. Shouldn't be anything Mike can't handle." Tom nods his head. "Ok, we leave from Baltimore Washington International at 0400 hours tomorrow morning. Try to get some rest, guys." The rest of the team nods as we see Mitch get up from his seat in somewhat of a hurry. Tom notices and says "You got a plane to catch?" Mitch shakes his head. "No, I just realized I haven't checked in with my wife Cheryl yet." Tom thinks for a bit as Mitch walks out. He says "That man is whipped." Tom then just chuckles and shakes his head.

We follow Mitch back up to the parking garage, where we see him pull out a business card and punch in a number. He then gets on the phone. "Yes, I need to speak to the supervisor." Elsewhere, we see Elena Derevko pick up a phone smiling. "Mitchell! How are things?" Mitch paces around a bit. "Tom's crew is going after a warehouse in Santa Isabel, Cuba tomorrow. They believe there's something there related to some cloning project." Elena's smile disappears. "Interesting. Well, thanks for the heads up. Anything else going on?" Mitch says "They're assigning Tom's team to anything clone project related while I'm getting stuck with the scraps." Elena mockingly groans. "That's too bad. Do they suspect anything yet between us?" Mitch says "No. I've kept our conversations as discreet as possible." Elena smiles. "Good, keep it that way." Elena then hangs up. We see Elena then look up at the blonde guy with the glasses that was her underling late in Season 4. "Avian, they're going after the Santa Isabel warehouse tomorrow." Avian says "We still have people there?" Elena says "Just a few. I've mostly given up on that place." Avian asks "Should I give them the order to clear out?" Elena thinks for a moment. "No, let Tom deal with them. Make sure there's nothing on the computers, you can do that from here." Avian smirks. "I wonder if he has any idea he's actually doing us a favor by raiding that place. Doctor Wozniacki has been a colossal failure." Elena then looks up at the man. "What do you hear about Project Alloy?" Avian shakes his head. "No successful subjects yet. The problem seems to be with the duration the person has to be out while the process is taking place." Elena leans back. "Maybe we shouldn't aim for a full body replacement. Tell Doctor Filatov to try just an upper-body replacement next time. Maybe that will work for Rambaldi's purposes." Avian nods and walks out of the room, leaving Elena to think by herself.

_**Towson, MD- Tom's apartment**_

Back at Tom's apartment, Tom is seen once again packing for what looks like a long trip. Kate is looking on in their bedroom as Tom gathers a set of clothes and other belongings. She's not happy. "Tom, what is it now?" Tom, in the process of packing, responds "I just need to be at headquarters for a sting we're doing." Kate asks "And just where would this sting be?" Tom looks at Kate a little disapprovingly. "You know I can't discuss the details. We're a deep cover unit." Kate sighs and looks down. "I know...I just wish you didn't have to be so secretive." Tom says nothing as he keeps packing his luggage. Kate then remembers something. "Oh, I got something in the mail for you today..." Kate walks away and comes back in a few seconds as Tom is standing wondering what it is. Kate hands Tom a birthday card. "Your birthday was a couple weeks ago, and this 'Nadia Santos' is just now getting you a card." Tom looks at the card for a bit a little worried, and then smiles as she looks at Kate. "She's a colleague of mine." Kate stands with her hands on her hips, angry. "Uh huh. I seem to remember a few months ago you calling me 'Nadia' when we were making love. Was this the woman you were thinking about?" Tom, who was reading the card, looks at Kate surprised. "What are you talking about?" Kate shakes her head with an angry face. "Oh no, you know what I'm talking about. I gave you a black eye for that, so don't tell me you forget!" Tom turns towards Kate and looks angry now himself. "I worked a sting with her all day that day, I probably got confused!" Kate gets in Tom's face. "Yeah right! And now, you're just going away on a BIG STING tonight and coming back tomorrow. Uh huh...OK! Are you going to call me another name when you get back?" Tom stuffs the card into his luggage and looks at Kate angrily. "First of all, you seem to forget that, after we saw the movie Armageddon, you had me confused with Ben Affleck for a FREAKING WEEK! Second, I have been faithful to you since we met and I will take a lie detector test to prove it! Why are you testing me like this?" Kate screams "BECAUSE I FEEL I DON'T KNOW YOU ANYMORE!" Tom's anger disappears and now, he looks concerned as Kate continues. "You're always off to these one day, two day, three day missions and I don't know a damn thing about them or what the hell it is you do!" Tom shakes his head. "12 years together and you say you don't know me. Well, apparently, I didn't know you either." Kate takes a step back. "What?" Tom says "I didn't know you were so vindictive towards me, Kate! I have worked my ass off to give us a good living and I'm working hard so I can retire early and spend the rest of our lives together raising children and just enjoying life, but apparently I'm not doing it right according to your freaking plans! Kate, that's bullshit and you know it!" Kate gets back in Tom's face and says "What's bullshit is being married to a freaking ghost!" Kate then storms out of the room before Tom can respond.

_**Cuba- Outside of Santa Isabel**_

It's late at night and Tom, Mike, Eddie, Jerome, and Luke all approach a large warehouse, which is situated in a remote, wooded area of Cuba. Nothing else appears to be around them besides trees and the warehouse. Over their earpieces, we hear David say "According to infrared satellite, there appears to be 10 people in the warehouse. No one is guarding the outside. The front entrance will be your best bet for entrance, there's no one guarding that." Tom, quietly, says "Roger that, Commodous." Back at Dark Cover, James gives David a look. "Commodous?" David looks up. "Yeah, the emperor in Gladiator. That's my field name now." James just shakes his head as we go back to Cuba. Tom goes up to the front door and finds the keypad. He places the magnet on the side of the keypad as instructed. Nothing happens for about five seconds. Tom looks at the rest of the team a little concerned. He looks down at the magnet, which does light up after a few more seconds. Tom pulls out his library card and swipes it through the card reader. The front door opens. "Ok, David, it worked. We're in." Back at Dark Cover, David tells the team "You should be in the front lobby. To the left and right are vacant offices, there's no one there. Uh oh..." Tom says "Uh oh?" David says "Three bogies are coming your way. They'll be coming through the door directly in front of you." Tom, now in a normal voice, says "Lock and load!" Tom points his gun at the door ahead as Mike and Luke line up to his left and Jerome and Eddie to his right. As David predicted, three troops come bursting through the door, but Storm Crew is there to meet them with bullets. All three fall to the ground without getting a shot off. Tom looks around at his team. "Ok, we just announced our arrival. Luke, Jerome, hang out front and yell if there's an ambush coming. Mike, Eddie, follow me." Tom, Eddie, and Mike proceed forward as Luke and Jerome stand guard at the door. As Tom, Eddie, and Mike walk through the door the troops came out of, David says "Go right. That will lead you to the server room. There are also four bogies that have set up shop in the hallway to the left. They appear to be hiding behind something. Two left and two right." Tom says "Copy that." Tom, Eddie, and Mike proceed slowly down the hallway until they get to the end. On the other side of the turn is a large box that someone can post up on. Tom turns to Mike and Eddie and motions that he'll be taking that box and to provide cover fire. He then holds up three fingers...then two...then one. Mike and Eddie step out to face the hallway to the left and open fire. Tom slips behind them and posts up behind the box as a hail of gunfire comes their way. Mike and Eddie post up behind the corner as Tom is positioned behind the box. After the gunfire stops, Tom looks out and sees one head up a little too high to his immediate left. Tom shoots the guy in the head and posts back behind the box as the other three down the hall return fire. Tom then waves at Mike and Eddie. He motions to Mike to take position on the near side of the box that the guy he killed was stationed at. After the wave of gunfire stops, Tom motions Mike to take his position. As Mike runs forward, he's able to take out the guy crouched behind the first box on the right from a standing position before sliding down for cover. The remaining two troops open fire again as Mike and Tom post up behind boxes and Eddie stands behind the corner. Tom motions to Eddie to take his position while Tom moves up. When the gunfire stops again, Tom moves up and Eddie takes his spot. Tom posts up to the right of Mike at the box that the guy Mike killed was posted up at just in time for the next wave of gun fire. After the gunfire stops, Eddie pops around the corner and, looking through his scope, takes out the man behind the box at the end of the hallway on the left, leaving just one man alive. That man pops up about 5 feet away from Tom, who's there to greet him with a bullet to end the fighting. Tom yells out "All clear! Any damage?" Mike and Eddie both say "No!" Tom says "I'm good too!" Back at Dark Cover, James gives a bit of a fist pump while David looks intently at the monitor. "Ok, the remaining three heat signatures I see are located down the hallway, too the left again, and then through the second door on the left. Three men in one room, and they haven't moved since you entered the complex." Tom asks "What's the status outside?" David says "Nothing happening." Tom says "Luke, Jerome, move up to us. Go right down the hallway, then left. Station yourselves at the end of the hallway and let us know if you see anything!" We hear Jerome says "Copy, we're coming." Tom looks at Mike and Eddie, who is now standing between them. "Let's go." Tom stands up from his crouching position and advances down the hallway and turn left.

Tom, Eddie, and Mike skim the left wall up to the second door on the left. Tom stops and holds out three fingers again...then two...then one and rushes and opens the door quickly. Tom holds out his gun and Eddie and Mike rush behind him. But inside, Tom sees a man wearing a doctor's outfit and looking rather malnourished. He's holding up a white napkin and is screaming "Don't shoot! I surrender!" Tom asks "We picked up two other heat signatures in this room, where are they?" The doctor says "The two men are over to the left of me, in this locker. I tried a little experiment with them. They just died a half hour ago." Tom holds his finger to his ear. "David, can you confirm this?" David looks at his monitor and says "Yes. There's two bodies off to the left and their heat signatures are not as intense as the man you're talking too." Tom says "Copy, Commodous" and walks into the room. Tom keeps his gun drawn on the man. "Mike, frisk him." Mike lowers his gun and goes behind the man and gives him a rough patdown as Tom looks on. Tom looks over to Eddie. "Go check that locker." Eddie walks over and opens the door and finds two bodies on the ground. "Oh damn! Tom, you have to see this!" Tom keeps his gun pointed at the man as he's being patted down. Mike finally stops and says "He's clear." Tom lowers his gun and walks over to the door that Eddie just opened. He finds one man face up with no face whatsoever. No eyes, ears, nose, mouth...nothing. We see his body has turned purple. We also see another man to his left laying face up with his basic facial features still intact, but looking very worse for the wear. Tom, looking a bit disgusted, turns away as Mike checks it out and has a similar disgusted reaction. Tom walks up to the doctor. "What the hell did you do to these men?" The man says "First, you can call me Doctor Oleg Wozniacki and second, they were my latest subjects." Tom asks "Subjects of what?" Wozniacki smiles. "Project Helix, of course!" Tom lets those words sink in for a bit. "Nice name...now, were can we find your server room?" Wozniacki points to the door. "Go left out the door and it's the next door on the left..." Tom looks over at Mike. "Alright Mike, get your computer equipment ready." "Too bad he won't get anything." Mike stops what he was doing. "What? What did you do?" Wozniacki says "As soon as I heard the gunfire, I ran over to clear the servers and they were already wiped out." Tom grabs Wozniacki and drives his back into the wall behind him. "You and the Covenant should have left those servers alone. Now, we get to beat the Polish Sausage out of you!" Tom rears back as Wozniacki screams "Wait! I will tell you everything you need to know!" Tom lowers his fist. "How? The files are all deleted." Wozniacki shakes his head. "I don't use computers much anyway. I'm old fashioned, I have all of my files over there." Wozniacki points to a file cabinet. "If you give me witness protection, I'll tell you everything you need to know about my work." Tom chuckles a bit. "So, you're more than happy to be a snitch. What, is the Covenant's pension plan not doing it for you anymore?" Wozniacki shakes his head. "They've mistreated me here, left me out here to rot. I tried to please them, but you just can't please these people. No matter what you do, it's never good enough. I hate the Covenant!" Tom then lets go of Wozniacki and turns away and puts his finger to his ear. "James, did you get all that? This bastard wants us to put him up in suburbia in exchange for what he knows." James, back at Dark Cover, says "I heard everything, Tom. Go ahead and take him with you to the rendezvous point. I'll send a clean-up crew at the warehouse to see if they can get anything else." Tom says "They'll be particularly interested in those bodies we just saw, including Faceless McGee over here." James, unamused, says "Just secure the doctor and get out to the rendezvous point. I'll alert the helicopter to be there when you get out. Good work." James then sets down his headset and walks away as we see Mitch looking on over the mission and walking away himself.

We follow Mitch back out to the parking garage and he dials a number on his cellphone. He puts the phone to his ear, and after a few seconds, says "I need the supervisor!" Elena, from her undisclosed location and sitting behind a desk, says "What is it, Mitch?" Mitch says "The mission is done. They succeeded in infiltrating the place." Elena asks "Were they able to find anything?" Mitch says "The doctor they encountered there said he wiped the servers, but offered to spill the guts about Project Helix to the CIA in exchange for witness protection. The computers were wiped, but Wozniacki says he kept hard copies of his work. They also found two bodies from a failed experiment about a half hour ago. One man didn't have a face." Elena nods her head a bit, but doesn't change her expression. "Ok, thanks for the information." Elena hangs up the phone, leaving Mitch in the parking garage. Elena is approached by Avian, who says "So, were they successful?" Elena nods her head. "Yes, very. I thought he'd go in guns blazing and kill poor Doctor Wozniacki." Avian, a little surprised, says "He didn't?" Elena shakes her head. "No. The doctor is going to spill the beans on what he knows about Project Helix to the CIA." Avian asks "Shall I send in a team to intercept them before their return?" Elena thinks for a bit, then shakes her head. "No. Wozniacki can't implicate us, he doesn't know who we are. But, he will give up everything about Project Helix. But that's ok. Just more bread crumbs for Tom to follow." Avian smiles. "Well, I do have some good news from Project Alloy." Elena's eyes light up. Avian says "Doctor Kozlov has decided to take a step-by-step approach. Today, he was successfully able to replace a man's arm and hand with a titanium replica. It's too early to tell if he'll have full function in it, but Kozlov believes he will. We'll know more in a couple of days." Elena leans back in her chair and smiles. "Very good." Avian asks "You're still certain that he is the Caretaker?" Elena looks up. "Oh yes." Elena turns around and looks at Page 141, which features the face of a man that looks an awful lot like Tom. "After all, a picture tells a thousand words. And, he still keeps in touch with Nadia. I think they're still destined for each other." Avian smiles and walks away as Elena keeps staring at Page 141.

_**Edgewood, MD- CIA Dark Cover Headquarters(the next day)**_

Tom, Mike, Eddie, Jerome, and Luke walk out of the main elevator at Dark Cover with Doctor Wozniacki in tow. Vandenburg and Lennox both spot the crew walking in and they head down the stairs. Tom leads Wozniacki into the interrogation room as Vandenburg and Lennox reach the bottom of the steps. In the interrogation room, Tom sits Wozniacki on the chair as Vandenburg and Lennox walk in. Vandenburg tells Tom "Another job well done, sir." Tom shakes Vandenburg's hand. "Thank you. Once again, though, I couldn't have done it without the team." James says "I'll debrief with you after I talk to the doctor. Good work." James pats Tom on the back and slips what looks like a steak sauce bottle cap into his pocket. Tom gets in James's ear and whispers "What's this?" James whispers into Tom's ear "The Charleston Restaurant uses A-1 Steak Sauce. Go there early and replace the cap at their table with this one. It has a bug in it. You can run the bug from your laptop, I've got it already set up." Tom whispers "What should I tell the server if he catches me?" James smiles and whispers. "Just tell him you're CIA and flash your badge, of course!" Tom laughs and gives James a slap on the shoulder. "Good man!" He turns to go in the side door into the Storm Crew office.

Tom walks into the Storm Crew office as the rest of the team is clapping at Mike, Eddie, Jerome, and Luke. Tom joins in. "Very good job by everyone in Cuba. Chalk up another one for the good guys!" The rest of the team roars in approval. Tom looks over at the op-tech room. "Hey David!" We see David jog out of the op-tech room. "Yes? What's up?" Tom starts clapping. "This man was our seeing eyes out there. He also got us in the front door. Everyone, the MVP of this mission...David Marston!" The rest of the team roars in approval and huddles around David, who looks overwhelmed by all the applause he's getting. Tom looks on and grins at David as he's being mobbed by the team.

_**Baltimore, MD (6:55 PM)**_

_(Start playing Van Halen's "Everybody Wants Some")_

Outside the Charleston Restaurant, we see Tom walking out to his car. Tom gets in and starts looking around, seeing of Lisa or David has shown up yet. After a few seconds, David pulls in to a parking spot behind Tom. Tom slides down in his seat a bit and looks out the rear-view mirror to see David getting out of his car and walk into the restaurant. After David walks in the front door, Tom pulls out his binoculars and looks in the window to see David being seated by the waiter. Tom opens his laptop and launches an audio program. Through the laptop, he can hear the sound of classical music being played in the background. He can also hear David breathing deep, a sign of nerves. Tom sees a black car drive into his view. He tracks it and sees its James and Lisa. Lisa gets out of the car and walks towards the front door as James pulls into the parking lot and parks next to Tom. Tom quickly gets out of his car and gets into the passenger's door of James's car. James asks "That bug working?" Tom nods his head. "Absolutely." Tom brings the binoculars back to his eyes as James does too. In the window, we see David's eyes light up as Lisa walks to the table. Through Tom's laptop, David says "Lisa?" Lisa gasps and hugs David. "Oh my goodness, James set me up with you! Wow!" David holds Lisa's chair as she sits down, and then David takes his seat. Both David and Lisa look like they're about to burst out of happiness. Tom grins and looks at James. "Told you this would work." James laughs. "You're weren't kidding! Man, this reminds me so much of the time I met Emma." Tom drops the binoculars and looks at James as we hear chatter from David and Lisa from Tom's laptop. "How come I never see Emma around Dark Cover?" James says "Oh, she's technically freelance and she's just been tied up with different things. She does a lot of deep, deep cover stuff, much more than me." Tom nods his head. "Don't you ever miss her?" James gives Tom a bit of a look. "Well, yeah, but you learn to deal with it. Come on, you should know all about that." Tom nods his head. "Yeah, but it's a little different when your wife thinks you're something else. Me and Kate had a big fight before the Cuba mission. She's starting to wonder about what exactly it is I do." James asks "She doesn't suspect you're anything but an undercover Baltimore PD cop, right?" Tom nods his head. "Actually, she's more concerned that I'm cheating on her with the trips I'm having to make." James laughs. "Yeah, Emma had to take a lot of time off for an injury one year and she even she was starting to wonder about what I did...even though she's an agent just like me!" Both James and Tom laugh at that. Tom stops and says "Well, I've kept in close contact with one of the agents that helped me when we rescued Doctor Simonich in Argentina. Well, she sent me a birthday card and my wife's now suspicious." James asks "I've heard you talk about this agent before...Nadia right?" Tom nods. "Yeah." James says "Hmm, she should know better than to send you a birthday card at your home, especially if she knows you're married!" Tom gives James a look. "She does...anyway, it's not like she could have sent it to Dark Cover, could she?" James shrugs. "True." Tom and James go back to observing David and Lisa.

_**Baltimore, MD (90 minutes later), Charleston Restaurant**_

It's now dark in Baltimore as we see Tom and James still observing David and Lisa at the restaurant. Tom looks at his watch. "Damn, I don't think David has talked to ANYONE for 90 minutes straight in his life." Just as he says that, we see David and Lisa get up from their seats and walk towards the front. Through another window, we see Lisa pull out her cell phone. James says "Ah, she must be making contact to see if she needs a ride." Tom says "Ok, we'll know in a bit if this worked..." James's phone rings and he picks up. "Hey Lisa!...oh, David is giving you a ride home?" Tom suddenly gives a very quick and excited fist pump in celebration as James looks on amused. "Ok, well, have a good night. Glad you had a good time...oh, it's not over?" Tom's eyes bug open in surprise. James says "Ok, I'll see you tomorrow." James closes the phone as Tom looks at James in shock. "It's not over?" James smiles. "That's what she said, they're going to his place. He wants to show her his computer setup." Tom nods his heap and grins wide. "Holy crap, my boy did it." James laughs. "I do have to say, I'm a little surprised. I thought Lisa was out of his league." Tom says. "Well, it's not every day we get to witness living, breathing miracles unfold in front of our eyes. I was not expecting that last little detail." James nods his head. "I guess you're right." Tom closes up the laptop and reaches his hand over. "Thanks for the help, man. David needed this." James shakes his hand. "No problem. I'll see you at work tomorrow." As Tom is getting out of his car, James grabs Tom's hand. Tom looks back surprised. "What's up?" James says "Just my two cents...get your wife some roses tonight. She'll appreciate the gesture. It worked for Emma when she was getting suspicious about me!" Tom nods his head, and then sees David and Lisa approaching. "Gotta go!" Tom enters his car quickly and ducks his head, but it's not really necessary as David and Lisa are so into each other, they really don't notice much else around them.

_**Towson, MD- Tom's apartment**_

Later that night, we see Tom knock on the door of his apartment. He's holding a massive bouquet of pink roses in his left arm. Kate opens the door and sees Tom with the roses. Tom, a little unsure on how to act, says "Hey, honey." Kate stands there, looking at Tom for a bit...then cracks a smile. "You remembered I like pink roses!" Tom hands her the big bouquet and walks in. Kate walks off to the kitchen to grab a vase. Tom stands there at the door, watching Kate work. He then asks "How was your night out with Miss Cooper and Miss Hayes?" Kate shakes her head. "Oh, Cheryl got sick and couldn't go, so we called it off until next week." Tom nods his head, and looks down at the ground. "I just wanted to say I'm sorry." Kate looks up at Tom. "For what?" Tom thinks for a bit, then says "For being forced to be so secretive about what I do." Kate fills up the vase with water and puts the roses in the vase. "Tom, it's me that should be sorry. I know your job puts you in that position. It's just...the birthday card..." Tom walks up and puts his hands on Kate's shoulders. "I assure you, my relationship with Nadia is purely platonic. She's not even from this country, she's in Argentina." Kate raises her eyebrows. "Argentina?" Tom says "Yeah. That's why the card got here late. Without going into detail, we worked with the Argentinians on an operation and she was one of the agents they sent to help. She helped me out in a big way during the operation, and I wrote her a letter of commendation for it. Turns out, I helped get her a big promotion because of it, and we've been friends since." Kate smiles. "Well, that was nice of you." Kate gives Tom a kiss. After the kiss, Kate says "Hey, I wanted to see if it was ok if I took a part-time job at the Charleston Restaurant in Baltimore. They're looking for a waitress and it would give me something to do instead of hanging with your co-worker's wives or staying couped up in here." Tom laughs as Kate gets a concerned look. "What, you don't think I can do it?" Tom shakes his head quickly. "Oh no! I just find it funny you mention the Charleston...I was just there tonight." Kate looks upset now as she folds her arms. "You went there before you came back home? Why...oh wait, let me guess...this must have been for work." Tom says "Ok, this I can tell you. You'd like this...one of our tech guys at the PD is a little shy, but we've noticed that he's had the hots for this new tech girl that started there a month ago. Well, I could tell she liked him, but he told me that he wouldn't pull the trigger on asking her out...so I went ahead and set it up a blind date for them. Anyway, I was scoping it out and I can report that it was a major success." Kate's displeased look vanishes as she laughs. "My husband...the match maker. Now, why don't you say we have a little...Love Connection of our own?" Tom says "That's a damn good idea. Now, stand there and close your eyes." Kate closes her eyes shut as Tom takes off his tie and wraps it over Kate's eyes. Kate asks "What the heck are you doing?" Tom says "We're having a blind date of our own, of course! If you can make it to the bedroom without tripping over anything and breaking something, you win!" Kate asks "What do I win?" But Tom isn't there to answer as he's already walked away to the bedroom. Kate just throws her arms up in disgust and starts feeling her way around the room as the scene ends.

_**Edgewood, MD- CIA Dark Cover headquarters**_

The next day at work, we see Tom standing outside of the Storm Crew office with his back to the wall. He looks across the room at the elevator, where David and Lisa both walk out together. David and Lisa have their arms around one another and appear to be really enjoying each other's company. Tom watches as they eventually stop and give each other a peck on the lips. Tom raises an eyebrow at that and keeps it raised as David approaches him. David notices him standing there with that eyebrow raised. David says "Yeah, yeah, me and Lisa had a good time last night. I guess I should have you to thank for that. I was going to ask her out eventually, though." Tom smirks at that but says nothing. David then says "Ok, maybe not. Anyway, Davie loved her and she loved him." Tom gives him a few pats on the back. "I know a good opportunity when I see it. You two were made for each other. Congrats, buddy." Tom and David walk into the Storm Crew office together to end the episode.

**NEXT EPISODE: JUDGING JUDAS**


	10. Chapter 7: Judging Judas

**JUDGING JUDAS**

**Day period of episode: September 2002 (Beginning of Season 2 of Alias)**

_**Edgewood, MD- CIA Dark Cover Headquarters**_

We start off in the Storm Crew office, where James Lennox has called a meeting. Everyone except Mitch is present. James says "First of all, I wanted to commend you all on a job well done. We've gained a lot of insight into the Covenant this past year and I think we've made them feel our presence. Vandenburg tells me that the powers-that-be are still very impressed with how things are done here, so really, congratulations for everything we've done so far." The rest of the team claps. James continues. "Second, I think we've reached a point in this mission where we have to go after the head of Project Helix. That's right, it's time to target Doctor Enzo Markovic himself." Tom claps and rubs his hands together. "Alright, main event time! What's the plan?" James says "Well, not so fast, Tom. Me and Emma are going to be going deep cover and will try to gain Markovic's trust." Tom asks "Why are we now going the cloak and dagger route? I mean, we've been dismantling that whole thing for the past few months." James says "Because Markovic is a hard man to...A. find and B. deal with. He keeps himself well insulated from outsiders, and going at him with a tactical team, even one the size and strength as this one, would be futile." Mike asks "Well, why are you and Emma going? Is there no one else?" James shakes his head. "No one has tracked Markovic like me and her have. We're the only ones that can get this done. Besides, I trust that you all will continue to do the legwork on intelligence gathering when it comes to the Covenant." Tom leans back. "What about my team? Are we going back out to general Covenant duty like Mitch's crew?" Chris cuts James off before he can speak. "Speaking of Mitch, where the hell is he?" Tom looks over at Chris. "He called in sick. He thinks he's got food poisoning." Chris shakes his head, but says nothing. James then says "To answer your question, Tom, yes, you'll now be dispersed to general Covenant duties now." Mike asks James "When are you leaving?" James says "Our flight to Berlin leaves this afternoon." Chris slams his hands on the desk. "Dammit, James! The big barbecue is this weekend at the Coop house! You're gonna miss it!" James laughs. "I know! You keep talking about those ribs of yours, I feel ba!" Chris says "Yeah, these are ribs that you'll regret missing for the rest of your life!" James laughs and says "Well, I'll take a raincheck, alright?" Chris nods his head. "That's cool, I'm just messin' with ya. I'm sure there's a rib place somewhere in Berlin." Tom looks over at Chris and shakes his head. "I've been to Berlin a few times, there ain't squat there for barbecue." James cuts off the banter. "Ok, guys, best of luck in the next few months. Hopefully I'll have some good news to report when this is all done!" James walks around to Tom and leans in. "I need to talk to you." Tom, noticing the seriousness in his voice, gets up and follows James out of the office.

Tom follows James into his office and sits down as James closes the door behind him. As James walks around to sit behind his desk, he says "Tom, I know this is a touchy subject, but it might be time to pull the plug on Mitch." Tom doesn't appear all that surprised as James sits down. Tom says "I take it Chris has told you he's been more erratic lately, right?" James laughs at that comment. "Erratic? The guy is like a ghost lately. Calling in sick and doing his disappearing act more and more during missions. If I didn't know any better, I'd say he's a double agent." Tom shakes his head. "No way. Not Mitch. I don't see it." James shakes his head. "I know how this must be making you feel. His missions are still successful..." Tom cuts James off. "...which will make replacing him now seem rather peculiar." James nods. "I agree. That's why I want you to send him on the next mission. I've been hearing rumors about this big project the Covenant has been working on in addition to Helix. His job will be tracking down an informant that might have more intel. He needs to take extreme care, because the word is this informant was green lighted by the Covenant. Orders are to shoot on sight." Tom leans forward. "Are you suggesting I put him out on a mission that he might be doomed to fail in, in an attempt to justify his relieving of duty?" James shakes his head. "Mitch and his team have the skills to protect the man. And ultimately, I'm leaving the fate of Mitch in your hands. But, if he fails in this mission, then I think it will be time to see what someone else can do in his role. You mentioned Mike as a possible candidate when we broached this a few months ago. Are you still confident he can do the job?" Tom nods his head. "Yeah, I think he can. He's not a verbal leader like I am, but with Chris on his team, he won't need to be." James smiles. "Speak quietly and carry a big stick. That was Teddy Roosevelt's motto." Tom nods his head and smiles. "And it worked for him. Although somehow, I don't see Mike wearing a monocle like Teddy used to wear." James laughs a bit and so does Tom. Tom then stands up and extends his hand. "Good luck in Berlin." James shakes Tom's hand to end the scene.

**Play theme**: youtube dot com /watch?v=22Vz-ngNomA

As Tom walks out of James office, he gets a call on his cell phone. He looks down and smiles at the number he sees. Tom answers the phone. "Como esta, amiga?" (How are you, friend?) We flash to Argentina where we see Nadia Santos pacing outside. "Muy bien, amigo!" (Very good, friend!) Back at Dark Cover, Tom asks "So, what's going on?" Nadia's smile disappears. "Well, I need a favor from you." Tom says "Anything you need, Nadia. What's up?" Nadia says "I need you to look up any information the CIA has on Vlad Popescu. He's Romanian." Tom says "Hang on". Tom walks to his desk and grabs a laptop, then walks back out and goes up the elevator to the parking garage. Tom opens the laptop and punches in Vlad Popescu into a search database. We see a profile and other information about the man. Tom gets back on the phone. "You still there, Nadia?" Nadia says "Yeah, did you find something?" Tom says "Yeah, I just had to find a quiet place. Vlad is a Romanian gangster...looks like he's quite the angry old man, there's numerous notes about his violence." Nadia asks "Does it say anything about him running a prison camp in Chechnya?" Tom looks further. "Yeah, as a matter of fact, it does. It's a labor camp, some relic from the Soviet days that he still keeps in operation. Mostly political prisoners get sent there." Nadia says "That's what I thought. Could you send me the details?" Tom says "My bosses might not like that too much, but I don't think that will be a problem. But, isn't Chechnya a bit out of Argentina's reach?" Nadia laughs. "That's the other reason I called. I got another promotion. I'm not longer on gang duty anymore." Tom's face brightens up. "That's great news, congrats! What will you be doing now?" Nadia says "A lot of deep cover missions. Some really interesting stuff. I'm not 100% sure what exactly yet, but I know they wanted me to get intelligence on this guy. I appreciate you helping out." Tom says "No problem at all, Nadia. I guess this means we won't be talking as much anymore." Nadia sighs a bit. "Yeah, but if I ever need any help, I'll always come to you. You've been a wonderful friend." Tom looks down and smiles. "Thanks Nadia, and you've been a great friend to me too. I'm sure we'll run into each other again." Nadia smiles. "I know we will." Tom's smile fades a bit. "Alright, well, congratulations and good luck! I know you'll do great." Nadia says "Thanks! See ya later!" In a split screen, we see them both hang up their phones at the same time and both get a bit of a long face at the prospect of working together less in the future.

We see Tom walk into David's op-tech office. David is working on something on his computer screen. Tom asks "David, you got a minute?" David jumps a bit. "Man, you always sneak up on me!" Tom asks "Are you always this jumpy at home around Lisa?" David smiles. "Yeah, she's a sneaky one too!" Tom laughs a bit. "Well, I need a favor from you. I need to relay a CIA profile on Vlad Popescu to Nadia Santos in Argentine Intelligence, and I want this kept off the CIA's radar." David raises an eyebrow. "You think James would have a problem with you giving this information up?" Tom shakes his head. "Maybe, maybe not. But there are some on the team that might start the rumor mills again with me and her if they hear I'm sending her information." David nods his head. "Right, Mitch, Mike, and Eddie were really suspicious of you two." Tom leans forward. "Nothing happened between us then, and nothing has happened between us since. She's scratched my back, and now I'm scratching hers. So, can you forward that profile to this email address? Remember, keep it on the down low!" Tom hands David a slip of paper. David looks and nods. "Shouldn't be a problem." Tom pats David on the back. "Thanks, I owe you one now." David smiles as Tom walks out of the room...and sees Mitch walk in the Storm Crew door. "Well, if it isn't Lazarus himself, rising from the dead to join his team." Mitch gives a sheepish smile. "Gee, thanks for your concern! I feel much better now. What's going on?" Tom says "James is going on a deep cover mission in Berlin in pursuit of Doctor Markovic. My team is back to doing general Covenant stuff and...there's a barbecue at Chris's tomorrow." Mitch nods his head and looks at Chris. "I can't wait to have some of these ribs you've been talking about." Chris gives him a bit of a look. "Well, I hope you and the misses will be able to make it. I wouldn't want you too under the weather to enjoy the best ribs this side of the Mason-Dixon Line." Mitch returns a bit of a look. "I'll be fine! And yes, the wife will be there!" Mitch sits down at his desk and starts working on something. Tom walks over to Chris and whispers in his ear. "In five minutes, meet me in the interrogation room. We need to talk." Chris nods his head and goes back to work as Tom walks out to the general floor.

Tom is sitting in the interrogation when Chris walks in the main entrance to the room. "What's up, Tom?" Tom says "Take a seat." Chris looks at Tom a little funny, but takes his seat across from Tom. Tom starts off. "The video cameras have been disabled temporarily. What we say here cannot leave this room. Understand?" Chris nods his head. Tom continues. "I need to know what you've been telling James about Mitch, and I need to know now." Chris frowns a bit. "That was supposed to be just between me and him..." Tom cuts him off. "Chris, James is leaving for a while and he's alerted me that it might be time to do something about Mitch. I HAVE to know what it is you've been seeing in the field." Chris leans forward. "Mitch has been flaky for a few months now." Tom nods his head. "I know. James first alerted me to a possible problem back in February, and apparently he's been getting worse." Chris nods his head. "He doesn't make a single decision quickly anymore." Tom cocks his head. "What do you mean?" Chris shakes his head. "It's like he's always weighing his options out there, even on the most simple decisions you can make. And there's been little communication between Mitch and the rest of us for a couple months now...it's like something is weighing on him big time." Tom closes his eyes and thinks for a bit. "He always had a gambling problem. I hope he's not racking up a ton of debt that he's..." Tom then leans forward and puts his face in his palm. "Oh Christ…." Chris asks "What?" Tom opens his eyes and lowers his hand. "James suspects he might be a double agent." Chris asks "For the Covenant?" Tom shakes his head. "James didn't know for sure. In fact, he was unsure about his hunch about him being a double in the first place. It just...it doesn't SEEM like him. But, he always had a gambling problem, and if he's racked up debt, that could be a motive for him to be a double. I mean, Chris, you've worked with him for a while at the Anti-Cartel." Chris says "I know. It's puzzling me too." Tom asks "What else is he doing?" Chris says "Like I said, he takes a long time to make rational decisions. And he takes forever during bathroom breaks and other simple tasks that only he does." Tom leans back, looking troubled over the information he's received. "Chris, knowing what you know about his actions lately...do you think it's possible that he could be a double?" Chris looks down as well, just as troubled about this possibility as Tom. "I gotta say...I don't think we can rule that out." Tom nods his head, but still looks like he's troubled. "I'm not ready to make a move yet, but I want to ask if you'd be ok if Mike took command of your team. I know you and him have run with me for a long time, but Mike's started about the time I did and..." Chris holds up his hand. "Say no more, man. Of course, I'd be cool with Mike running the team. Guy's got ice water in his veins, and that's a good trait to have in a leader." Tom nods his head and smiles. "Ok, I appreciate the info, Chris. You've given me a lot to think about." Chris stands up and says "If it were me, I don't think there'd be that much to think about. I have no confidence in Mitch anymore." Tom nods his head. "Well, I'm sending you on a mission with Mitch, Charlie, and Jacob next week. You have to track down an informant in Tokyo that the Covenant wants in a pine box six feet deep. James says he has heard about some other project that the Covenant is working very hard to keep a secret. Chris, keep watching Mitch. Give me a detailed report on what he does, I want to make DAMN sure about this before I replace him." Chris nods his head approvingly. "I understand." Tom says "I'll give you guys the details on it at the last second, just in case Mitch feels like spilling the beans to someone, he won't have the time. Let's see how he reacts. Just, be ready." Chris nods his head and walks out the main entrance while Tom goes out the side entrance.

_**Baltimore, MD- Chris's house**_

Tom rings the doorbell while Kate stands outside of a nice looking two-story house that backs into the woods. The door opens and we see Chris with a wide grin. "Welcome to Casa de Coop!" Chris looks over at Kate and starts checking her out. "Damn, you look finer every time I see you!" Kate lets out a flattered laugh. Tom asks "Speaking of attractive wives, where's Tanya?" Chris points to the back of the house. "Out back with everyone else, of course! Get on in here!" Tom and Kate walk in to the family room. To the right is a dining room, to the left is the living room, and out back is a large kitchen as well as a bedroom off to the left. The other bedrooms are upstairs up some steps that are to the right side of the kitchen. Tom enters the kitchen and sets his 12-pack of beer on the table. "Where do you want this?" Chris laughs. "Man, that was about pointless, we've got enough beer to put Ireland out of business!" Charlie walks over. "I heard someone talking smack about my homeland!" Tom slaps Charlie's hand. "Charlie O'Doyle, meet my better half, Kate." Kate reaches over and shakes Charlie's hand. Kate says "It's nice to meet you. Is your wife around?" Charlie laughs. "Don't have one...yet." Tom looks over at Kate. "I don't think you've met Charlie yet. If you ever need something blown up, Charlie's the man for the job." Kate laughs. "I'll be sure to keep that in mind in case I need that!" We see David walk in from the back. "Hey Tom!" Tom looks over Charlie's shoulder and sees David. "Hey, David, come over here! Where's Lisa?" We see Lisa jog over from another part of the house. "Someone call for me?" As Lisa walks over to David, Tom looks at Kate. "Kate, this is David Marston, our technology guru." Kate reaches over and shakes David's hand. "Were you the guy that Tom set up on a blind date a while back?" Lisa laughs. "So, it WAS you!" Tom holds up his hands. "I know nothing!" Lisa and Kate laugh as they shake hands. "Lisa, this is my wife Kate." Lisa says "It's so nice to meet you! Tom talks about you a lot!" Kate looks over at Tom a little incredulously. "Really?" Tom shrugs. "I like your cooking. Maybe you can give Lisa some tips." Kate nods as David looks over at Tom. "Well, Lisa had some surprising news for me the other day." Tom looks over at Lisa a little suspiciously. "Uh oh..." Lisa smiles. "Oh no, nothing bad. As you know, I've been pregnant for a couple months. Well, I just learned yesterday that I'm having a girl!" Tom's eyes light up. "Oh wow! Congrats!" Tom and Lisa exchange a hug, then Tom hugs David. "Congrats, man." David says "Thanks guys. We're naming her after my mother, Susan." Tom gives David a pat on the shoulder. "Well, I'm happy for you. I'm sure Davie is excited." Kate asks "Who's Davie?" David says "Oh, my three year old son from my ex-wife. And yeah, he's excited to have a baby sister!" Chris walks back over to them with Charlie next to him. "I heard the commotion, everything cool?" Tom says "Tell him, David." David turns to look at Chris. "In five months, Lisa's having a girl." Chris gives David a hard pat on the shoulder. "Oh damn! Alright, David!" Chris then leans over and gives the much shorter Lisa a hug.

The good cheer is interrupted for a bit when Tom and Chris hear someone come in through the front door. It's Mitch and his wife Cheryl. Cheryl stands a couple inches taller than Mitch and has long black hair and looks like she hasn't missed a day of tanning in her life. Tom gives Mitch a wave as Chris leans in. "I didn't think he'd show." Tom, through the side of his mouth, tells Chris "Just play it cool. He's innocent until proven guilty." Kate overhears their conversation, but doesn't say anything as she walks over to hug Cheryl. Mitch walks up to Tom with his hand outstretched. Tom shakes it casually. Mitch then looks up at Chris, who's trying to look neutral, but is having a hard time. "How's it going, big fella?" Chris says "Good, got the barbecue going...in fact, I should go check on it." Chris then walks away quickly. Tom kind of looks at him a bit as Chris walks away, but doesn't say anything. Tom looks back at Mitch. "How you feeling?" Mitch smiles. "Excellent, thanks. I think all of that is behind me now." Tom, now looking serious, asks "How often have you been under the weather the past few months? Is this a recurring thing?" Mitch doesn't break his smile. "Seems like I have been getting this every so often. Doctors think I'm ok, though. I guess I should just eat better, right?" Mitch slaps Tom on the shoulder hard. Tom thinks for a bit, then smiles. "Well, you're at the right place for that. Let's head out back, I just got here myself."

Tom and Mitch walk out to the back porch together. There's a couple of tables set up on the stone porch. We look left and see Chris at the grill with Jacob, Luke, and Charlie. The three of them wave at Tom, who waves back. Mitch gives them a wave too. Tom looks out in front of him to the built-in pool, where there's about 5 kids having fun, as well as Eddie and Jerome. Tom turns right to see Mike alone at a table with a woman. Tom walks over to Mike, who doesn't notice him because he's talking with his guest. He leans into Mike's ear and says "Mike, how's the rash?" Mike looks up and is surprised to see Tom there. "Whoa, I didn't see you there." Tom looks at the blonde he's with. "Who's your friend?" Mike stands up and so does the woman. "Oh, this is Michelle. She's a senior at the University of Maryland and she's studying...what is it again?" Michelle giggles a bit. "I'm studying to be a veterinarian. I love animals." Tom nods his head. "That's a very noble profession. Hope it goes well for you." Tom then leans in Mike's ear. "She does know you're 31, right?" Mike says "She likes older men." Tom leans back away from Mike and nods. Tom reaches out his hand towards Michelle. "It's nice to meet you. Any friend of Mike is a friend of mine. Mike's been my most loyal friend for over a decade." Behind Tom's shoulder, we see Mitch look over after hearing that last comment. He looks a little distraught as he wanders off towards the pool. Tom glares at Mitch a bit before Michelle breaks up his stare. "Yeah, I like him." Michelle smiles at Mike, who smiles back. Tom looks back at Mike. "When you get a minute, we need to talk about something." Mike says "I've got time now." Tom nods his head. "Excuse us, Michelle." Tom walks inside as Mike follows.

We follow Tom and Mike into one of the bedrooms. Tom closes the door and locks it. Mike turns towards Tom and asks "What's going on?" Tom looks at Mike seriously. "Mike, I need to be sure that this conversation doesn't leave this room. Got it?" Mike nods his head. "Of course. What's up?" Tom walks over to a window and looks out. He spots Mitch, who is sitting with his feet in the pool talking to Eddie and Jerome. "It's Mitch. He's gotta go." Mike looks a bit surprised to hear that. "Wow...what brought on this?" Tom, still looking at Mitch, says "James and Chris both tell me that Mitch has become erratic in the field in the past few months. Something isn't right with him and we don't exactly know what. We have a suspicion on what it could be, but..." Mike says "He's a double, isn't he?" Tom snaps Mike a look. "How do you know that?" Mike shrugs. "Just a hunch. I've noticed that he likes to run off to the parking garage a lot on his cell phone, and he seems just really nervous about something of late." Tom asks "When did you start noticing this behavior?" Mike says "Only recently. I thought it might be something physical, but now you tell me Chris has noticed this for a few months...he's no fool. He knows when something is up." Tom shakes his head. "I still have no proof, though. And I'm still not sure on the motive!" Mike laughs. "Tom, come on! He's jealous that you're leading this team and not him!" Tom looks down. "He never spoke of any jealousy to me before." Mike shakes his head. "That's not his style. When you got assigned to Project Helix and not his team, he looked like a boy who lost his puppy. He's always been one to stew over something instead of letting his emotions be known." Tom walks away from the window and up to Mike. "You're the best tracker I have in Storm Crew. I'm sending Mitch's team on a mission to Tokyo next week. Monday, as a matter of fact. I'm having Chris keep an eye on Mitch, but I want to send you too in a stealth capacity. I want you to view their actions from afar. Tap their room, track them, whatever you feel is necessary. I'm giving you operational prudence on this." Mike nods his head. "When will I be leaving?" Tom says "They'll be getting to Tokyo at 9 PM our time Monday, so I want you to get on the first flight to Tokyo Monday morning and start tracking them from the airport. Call in sick and say you think Chris's leftovers made you sick." Mike raises an eyebrow. Tom says "I'll tell Chris so he doesn't get all pissy." Mike nods and says "Alright, do you want me to wear an earpiece?" Tom shakes his head. "No, I can't let the rest of my team know what's going on. Just call me at 10 PM after the mission is over. I told him the meet is at the Saigon Restaurant in Toshima, but the meet will really be in the Restaurant Ginto in Toshima." Mike nods his head. "I see, in case he's talking to someone, that person will be set up at the wrong place." Tom nods his head and puts his hand on Mike's shoulder. "If Mitch fouls up, I want you to take control of his team. Is that ok with you?" Mike looks away and thinks for a moment. "Why not have Chris lead it?" Tom shakes his head. "You joined the Anti-Cartel about a year after I did. You're experienced. We both think you're a leader. Plus, we already talked about it, he'd be happy with you as the leader." Mike thinks for a bit, then nods his head. "I'd be willing to jump over. For the good of the team." Tom smiles. "I appreciate it." Mike asks "Anything else going on?" Just as he says that, we see Kate outside of the room with her ear on the door. Tom says "I had to break things off with Nadia yesterday." Mike asks "What happened?" Tom says "She's told me she's on to bigger and better things. It's a shame, I really liked her." Kate now looks suspicious. Mike says "Yeah, she was nice." Tom nods his head. "Yeah, she was. But it's ok. I've always had this guilty feeling around her after our little fling a couple years ago in Argentina." Kate now looks pissed and storms off in a huff. Mike says "Yeah, but you've already got a good woman at your side, you couldn't compromise that." Tom nods his head. "Yeah, I know. Anyway, I won't be hearing much from Nadia anymore, she's been reassigned and will be doing more deep cover stuff now. Besides that, everything's peachy." Tom and Mike walk out of the bedroom and down the stairs and rejoins the party.

A few hours later, we see Tom and Kate driving back from the party. Tom, at a stop sign, grabs his stomach and burps a bit. "Man, those ribs were good, weren't they?" Tom looks over and we see Kate looking angrily out the window. She doesn't respond. Tom asks "Are you alright?" Kate, still looking out the window, shakes her head. She speaks a little tersely. "I'm just tired. I ate too much. Just get me home." Tom looks at her a little concerned, but doesn't say anything as he gets a honk from behind that the light ahead has turned green. Tom drives off.

_**Edgewood, MD- Storm Crew office, 6 AM.**_

Tom is standing near the projector as everyone has gathered in the Storm Crew office, save for Mike. Tom starts off. "Ok, I'm sorry to get everyone in this early, but I just received intel that an informant is ready to come clean to us about another project the Covenant has going. I don't have any details about what this project is, but I do know it's important to the Covenant, because he's been green lit by that organization. Orders are shoot to kill on sight. We have to get to him first." Tom clicks on the projector and we see an image of a Russian-looking man with a shaved head and beard. "Valeri Varlamov, believed to be a middle-ranking officer in the Covenant, is the man we must find. He's in Tokyo. We're to meet him after we land in Tokyo at the Saigon Restaurant in Toshima. He'll be waiting for us." Mitch asks "Which team is going to go?" Tom says "Your team. Mike is out sick." Mitch gets up. "I'll go gather some of my things from the car..." Tom says "That won't be necessary. Vandenburg has provided a limo to take all of you to the airport and I've prepared your things over there..." Tom points to the back of the room, where there's various bags piled up. Mitch, looking at the bags and away from Tom, rolls his eyes a bit. Tom, not noticing, says "You guys have to leave now, let's go!" Luke asks "Am I going?" Tom says "No, just Mitch, Chris, Charlie, and Jacob on this one." Chris gets up and smirks a bit at Tom. Tom gives him a blank look as Mitch's team gathers their things.

_**Baltimore Washington Airport**_

We see the team heading towards a private plane. All of the sudden, Mitch stops. "Guys, I have to go back inside and use the bathroom!" Chris says "Wait a second, there's one on the plane!" Mitch shakes his head. "I can't wait!" Mitch dumps his bags on Jacob's shoulders and walks back inside. Chris shakes his head as he walks with Charlie and Jacob towards a small, private plane. He sets his bags in the luggage compartment that a pilot has open for them. After Jacob and Charlie put theirs in, they start walking in the plane. Jacob notices Chris is still outside. "Hey Chris, you coming?" Chris says "I have to make a phone call, I'll be right in." Jacob and Chris walk in, followed by the pilot. Chris pulls out his cell phone and dials a number. He puts the phone to his ear. "Hey Tom!" Back at Dark Cover, Tom answers the phone and walks into the interrogation room. "What is it, Chris?" Chris says "This is going to shock the hell out of you, but we're waiting for Mitch to get out of an airport bathroom." Tom kicks a chair over. "Dammit, Chris, you all were supposed to get on the plane without any delay!" Chris says "I know, but he said it couldn't wait! What was I supposed to do, drag his ass in the plane?" Tom shakes his head. "No. Thanks for passing this along." Tom hangs up and shakes his head angrily.

Back at the airport terminal bathroom, we see Mitch pacing and talking on a cell phone. "Put me on with the supervisor." After a brief wait, we see Elena pick up a phone from her undisclosed office. "Mitch, what is it?" Mitch says "We've been sent on a sudden mission to Tokyo to intercept a man named Valeri Varlamov, does he mean anything to you?" Elena stands up really quickly. "What do you people want with Valeri?" Mitch says "He wants to let the CIA in on some other project you have going on." Elena, now looking worried, asks "Does Tom know what that project is yet?" Mitch says "No, why?" Elena says "Where are you going to meet him?" Mitch says "The Saigon Restaurant in Toshima after we get off the plane." Elena puts her hand on her forehead. "Ok, ok, get on the plane, get there, and I'll contact you with instructions. Valeri MUST NOT be brought back to America." Elena hangs up as Mitch leans up on a wall and exhales. Elena then dials a number. "Yes, I need you in Tokyo NOW! We found Varlamov, and he's about to reveal Project Alloy to the CIA! Tom cannot know!" On the other line, Avian, Elena's underling from Season 4, says "I'll be there" and hangs up.

_**Baltimore, MD- Tom's apartment**_

At home, we see Kate sitting on the couch watching TV. As she's flipping channels, she runs across a travel show promoting Argentina. This causes Kate to become enraged. Kate throws the remote against a wall, smashing it to pieces. We see Kate grab a pillow and curl up with it. She flashes back to Episode 4 when Tom mistakenly called Kate 'Nadia'. Then, we flash back to Episode 6 when Tom receives a birthday card from Nadia. And then, we go back to the conversation Kate eavesdropped on at the barbecue where Tom talks to Mike about Nadia. Kate starts to tear up and shake in anger. "You want to keep secrets from me, Tom? You want to play me? Well, it's time I play back!" Kate rushes up and grabs a phone book and starts looking through the yellow pages. She comes across a full page ad for 'Paul Polson, Private Investigator'. Kate gets an evil smile and dials the number on the page. A woman answers on the other line. "Paul Polson office, Christina speaking." Kate says "I need to have someone follow my husband."

_**Tokyo, Japan- Haneda Airport**_

Inside the airport terminal, we see a drastically different looking Mike. He's in a janitor's suit mopping a floor. He's shaved his trademark light brown beard and now has black hair and a black mustache. As he's mopping, he sees Mitch, Chris, Charlie, and Jacob walk in. He quickly turns back to his work so he isn't discovered, which he isn't. After they pass, Mike puts his mop in a mob bucket that's on a rolling cart with a garbage can and other cleaning supplies. He starts pushing the cart about 15 feet behind Mitch and the rest of the crew. However, Mike is forced to stop abruptly and scurry off to the right when the team suddenly stops because Mitch finds a bathroom. We see Chris throw his hands up in disgust when Mitch walks away.

In the bathroom, we see Mitch pull out his cell phone, but he's interrupted as he sees Elena Derevko standing behind him in the mirror. "Hello Mitch." Mitch turns around surprised. "Elena...I wasn't expecting you..." Elena grins. "I'm a woman of many secrets and surprises. After our plan is complete, you'll understand." Mitch nods his head. "Right." Elena says "Is Varlamov still going to be at the Saigon Restaurant in Toshima?" Mitch nods again. "As far as I know. What should I do?" Elena leans in and fastens what looks like a snap-on button underneath a breast pocket in Mitch's shirt. "This is a bug. If anything changes, we'll know about it. Otherwise, just go on as you were told. We'll take care of the rest." Mitch turns and throws some water on his face. Elena asks "Nervous?" Mitch says "I just want all of this to be over so I don't have to live with this dark cloud of betrayal over my head." Elena smiles as Mitch turns back around. "It will be. In just a few months, it'll be all over. Now, go." Mitch nods and walks out of the bathroom. Elena then gets on her cell phone. "It's still on, Avian. Mitch has just arrived." Elena then hangs up and smirks a bit as the scene ends.

_**Baltimore, MD- Paul Polson's office**_

We see Kate walk into a small office. She looks around and sees a small waiting room and a secretary directly in front of her. The secretary asks "May I help you?" Kate walks up. "Yeah, I had a 4 o'clock appointment with Paul Polson." The woman looks at her computer. "Katie Hibbits?" Kate says "Yeah, that's me." The secretary stands up. "I'll be right back." The secretary walks away as Kate turns and looks at some of the paintings that are up on the wall. After a few seconds, her focus is interrupted by a somewhat tall man with a muscular build. "Katie?" Kate, startled a bit, turns to face the man. "Yes!" The man extends his hand. "I'm Paul Polson. Come with me." Kate shakes the hand and follows Paul to his office, which is little more than a cluttered desk. Paul sits down behind the desk as Kate sits in a chair in front of the desk. Paul asks "So Kate, you're having husband issues?" Kate, a little nervous, says "Well, I've been married for four years, but I've known Tom for 12 since we started dating in high school in Missouri. I followed him to Los Angeles when he started with the LAPD, and then a couple of years ago when we moved here to Baltimore when he joined the Baltimore PD." Paul folds his hands and leans back. "I would think that'd be a bit of a stepdown, would it not?" Kate says "It was some deal he says he made to keep his job. Apparently he got a little to rough on the job one day." Paul leans forward. "He's an aggressive man. Has he ever hit you?" Kate shakes her head quickly. "Oh, good heavens no! I mean, we have our shouting matches every once in a while, but he's never raised his hand at me." Paul nods. "So, what is the problem you're having with your husband?" Kate looks down, a bit nervous. "I feel I don't know the man, even though I've been with him for over a decade. Does that make sense?" Paul nods his head. "He keeps secrets, I take it." Kate nods. "Secrets about his job...and I think of his love life. I'm pretty sure he's cheated on me." Paul asks "Why do you think that?" Kate says "He called me the name of a woman from Argentina he says he worked with in the past...and I overheard him telling a co-worker friend of his that he had to 'break it off' with her a couple days ago." Paul shakes his head. "Could mean he just severed his working relationship with her." Kate shakes her head right back. "He said he felt guilty around her over a 'fling' they had in Argentina two years ago." Paul smiles and leans back. "Yup, he just unzipped his fly right then and there." Kate says "So, I need you to follow him, make sure he's not cheating on me. I also want to know...I know this sounds crazy...but I want to know just what it is he does for a living." Paul nods his head. "Well, I have a couple other clients that I'm working with at the moment. It might be a couple months before I can get to this, but once I do, I'm sure it will have a high priority. I'll just need some information about Tom, his photo, his license plate number, and his general work schedule. In the meantime, try to go on as normal, don't let on that you're suspicious of him." Kate smiles. "That won't be a problem, and I can give you all that stuff today!" Paul stands up and extends his hand. "You can give that to my secretary. I look forward to helping you." Kate shakes his hand and has a smirk. "I look forward to it too." Kate then walks out of the office with that same smirk.

_**Toshida, Japan- Outside of the Saigon Restaurant**_

We see Mike park behind the van taxi that Mitch, Chris, Charlie, and Jacob entered. He slinks down in his seat a bit so he's not easily discovered by Mitch, who's standing outside of the taxi. He sees Mitch pick up a ringing cell phone as the rest of the team starts to exit. Back at CIA Dark Cover, Tom says "Mitch, last minute change of plans! Varlamov will meet you in 5 minutes at the Restaurant Ginto down the road! Get there now!" Mitch rolls his eyes and closes up the phone and orders the team back on the taxi as Mike watches, somewhat amused. He looks around and doesn't notice anything out of the ordinary, like anyone perched with a sniper. The taxi takes off and Mike follows. Down the block, the taxi stops at the Restaurant Ginto and the four men pour out of it again. This time, Mike parks and gets out of the car and walks across the street. He enters the building directly across from the restaurant and takes the elevator to the roof. Mike gets to the roof and pulls out his binoculars and looks into the restaurant, where he can see Mitch and the gang talking to Varlamov.

In the restaurant, Mitch asks Varlamov "So, what exactly do you know?" Varlamov shakes his head. "Not here. I don't speak until I'm on American soil. Until then, I say nothing." Mitch says "Well, we have a transport back to America ready to go if you would come with us." Varlamov nods and stands up. He follows the rest of the team out of the restaurant and towards the van taxi. However, before he can get to the taxi, we see a man run up to Varlamov and shoot him in the chest a couple of times. The rest of the team is stunned as Mitch looks at the man for a split second, then lunges after him. The assassin shoots himself in the head before Mitch can stop him. Mike, watching the whole thing, seems stunned at what just went down, then gets an angry look on his face as he steps away from the roof's edge. Over to the building to his left, and down a floor looking out a window, we see Avian smiling as he's looking through binoculars. He gets on the phone. "Elena, it's done. Varlamov is dead, and my assassin terminated himself." Elena, on a plane, smiles and says "Good work." She hangs up the phone and breathes a small sigh of relief. Back in Japan, Mitch enters the taxi van and leaves the secene.

In the van, the four team members are discussing what just went down. Jacob says "What the hell just happened!" Charlie says "Man, they must have REALLY wanted this guy dead. I mean...in broad daylight, they cap this guy!" Chris, sitting directly to the left of Mitch, looks at him a little incredulously. "Yeah...just like that." Mitch has his head in both of his hands. "I'm so sorry guys, I should have taken greater care..." Chris shoves Mitch. "NO SHIT, SHERLOCK! It's almost as if you served him up on a platter!" Mitch shoves him back, which surprises Chris a bit. "The Covenant wanted this guy dead at any cost! Daylight, nighttime...it didn't matter, they were going to get to him!" Jacob shakes his head in the back seat. "And now, we'll never know just who tasked him for the job. Unreal." Charlie says "This must have been some secret that they didn't want out." Mitch pulls out his cell phone. "I have to call Tom and give him the bad news." Mitch dials a number and Tom picks up on the other end. Tom asks "Mitch, do you have Varlamov?" Mitch says "No...the Covenant got him." Tom closes his eyes and leans his head back in disgust. Deadpanning, he asks "Mitch...what the hell happened?" Mitch says "We met the guy at the Restaurant Ginto, as you said to do. When we got out to our taxi, some guy came up and put two bullets in Varlamov's chest close-range, and then he killed himself before we could restrain him. It all happened in a matter of two seconds, max." Tom asks "Where's the bodies?" Mitch says "We just left them there." Tom leans over on a desk. "And did you bother checking the assassin for any identification? Or check Varlamov's body to see if he had any information on paper?" It's now Mitch's turn to close his eyes and lean his head back in disgust. "Tom, it happened so fast..." Tom screams "DID YOU OR DID YOU NOT CHECK THEIR BODIES, JUST ANSWER THE DAMN QUESTION!" Mitch screams back "NO! I DIDN'T!" Tom lets out a real deep breath. "And by now, the Japanese authorities are probably there now. Jesus, Mitch, this was not a hard mission." Mitch, now looking petrified, says "Tom, I'm sorry..." Tom cuts him off. "We'll talk when you get back." Tom slams the phone down on its receiver before Mitch can respond. Eddie stands up and asks "What's going on? What happened?" Tom glares at Eddie for a second, then just walks out of the room, leaving Eddie, Luke and Jerome to wonder about Tom's state of mind.

_**Towson, MD- Outside of Tom's apartment**_

Tom is pacing outside as he gets a phone call on his cell. It's Mike. "Mike, where are you?" Mike says "I'm at the airport." Tom says "Mitch called me right after the shooting. What did you see?" Mike says "He hung that man out to dry. They just casually strolled out of the restaurant and left Varlamov's backside open. I saw the assassin coming from a mile away." Tom nods his head. "Mitch says the whole thing went down quick." Mike thinks for a bit. "Yes and no." Tom asks "What do you mean?" Mike says "No one on the team saw the man come up because they all got into the car themselves, with the exception of Mitch and Varlamov. After Varlamov was shot, I think he could have stopped the assassin from blowing his own head off...but didn't." Tom shakes his head and chuckles as he looks down at the ground. "And he made no attempt at searching their bodies for information." Mike says "Nope. He kinda stood there for a while and then got in the taxi and left." Tom asks "Let's go back to when they arrived. Anything happen?" Mike laughs. "Just another one of Mitch's airport bathroom trips that Chris talked about." Tom asks "How long was he in the bathroom?" Mike says "About two minutes. He did come out looking a bit nervous." Tom nods his head. "Ok, good work. Get back home, we'll talk about where we go from here when you get back." Mike says "Alright, see you then." Mike hangs up his phone and Tom does the same. Tom stares off into space for a bit, then nods his head. "Yup. I think we just caught ourselves a mole."

_**Edgewood, MD- Outside of CIA Dark Cover**_

Mitch, Chris, Charlie, and Jacob are in a limo heading down the drive that leads to the entrance of CIA Dark Cover. However, before they can make the right turn into the dead end that leads to the entrance, they're stopped by Tom standing out in the middle of the road. Tom motions to the limo driver to roll down the back window. The driver does and Tom walks to the driver's side limo and leans in. "Mitch, come with me. Everyone else, head in, we'll be there in a bit." Everyone looks at each other suspiciously as Mitch gets out of the car. The limo takes off for the Dark Cover entrance as Mitch follows Tom over to an empty field off to the left. After about a hundred feet, Tom stops and turns to Mitch, who stops in his tracks. Mitch asks "Tom, what's going on? Is it about the mission?" Tom lets out a sinister chuckle as he pulls out a gun.

_(Note: At this point, start playing Metallica's 'Welcome Home (Sanitarium))_

Mitch steps back a bit. "Tom, what are you doing?" Tom takes the safety off and pulls back the hammer. He then looks up and shoves the gun into Mitch's chest, forcing Mitch to grab it. Mitch looks terrified as Tom turns from him and walks ten paces away from him. Tom eventually stops, but still has his back turned. Tom then turns his head to the left and looks at Mitch out of the corner of his eye. "Mitch, are you my friend?" Mitch, now trembling a bit, says "Of course I am!" Tom then says "Then why are you a double agent for the Covenant? Why go through this charade when you can just take me out right now?" Mitch starts to stutter a bit. "Tom...I...I would never..." Tom sneers and turns around and faces Mitch. "DON'T LIE TO ME, DAMMIT! BECAUSE THE ONLY WAY VARLAMOV COULD HAVE BEEN KILLED WAS IF YOU WERE BUGGED AND THE COVENANT WAS ABLE TO TRACK HIM DOWN TO THE RESTAURANT GINTO!" Mitch says "Let's say I were a double, which I'm NOT! How would they have been able to plant a bug on me?" Tom, still angry, says "Oh, I don't know, maybe one of your frequent airport bathroom trips?" Mitch shakes his head. "Tom, I've been dealing with a stomach virus. It's not completely out of my system, check my medical records. I was in and out of the bathroom on the plane with the runs. I didn't want to say anything, but dammit, Tom, how could you think I'm a traitor, after all we've been through?" Tom starts walking back towards Mitch and says "Stress can cause a person to get sick easily. Stress over missions where you've been sloppy and unaccounted for at times. Stress over such things as trying to explain why you didn't check Varlamov's or his assassin's bodies after they died. Stress over such things as being a double agent." Tom now gets in Mitch's face. "Stress over being handed a loaded gun and having an opportunity to kill the man that passed you by on the CIA pecking order after you got yourself fired from the Anti-Cartel." Mitch's lip starts to quiver, but he doesn't say anything. Tom steps back a bit and turns around again. This time, he doesn't look back. "If you want my job, take it now. Save yourself the stress. Put one in the back of my head, and let's just see how much of a Judas you are!" Tom stands and waits as we see Mitch look down at the gun, then back at the back of Tom's head. Mitch lifts the gun up maybe a couple of inches before dropping it. "Tom, this is insane. I swear to you, I am not a traitor." Tom hangs his head, then turns around. "Then you have two options." Tom reaches into his windbreaker and pulls out a rolled up form. "Sign this transfer form right now and get the hell out of here. I'll keep this quiet, and you can ride off into the sunset. I personally recommend this option, because I don't think you want to know the second." Mitch looks at the form, then shakes his head. "What's the second option?" Tom says "You will be relieved of commanding duties of Team 2 and will be reassigned to work under me in Team 1. Mike will take over command of Team 2. But, if you screw up one more time under my watch, well, I can't fire you because you have a CIA contract for another 18 months...but, I can make sure your time here at Dark Cover is a living hell. And that will be enough to cause more trips to the bathroom because of stress, I can assure you." Mitch thinks for a bit, then starts to cry. "Please...give me a chance to prove myself to you again...I have been struggling lately, I'll admit that...but please don't make me leave!" Tom, unfazed by Mitch's crying, puts the transfer form back in his windbreaker. "Fine. When you've composed yourself, get in my car." Tom picks up the gun Mitch dropped on the ground and walks off, leaving Mitch to his tears in the middle of the field as the episode ends.

**NEXT EPISODE: EXIT STRATEGY  
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	11. Chapter 8: Exit Strategy

**EXIT STRATEGY**

**Dayperiod for episode- early February 2003 (After Season 2, Episode 14 of Alias)**

_**Edgewood, MD- CIA Dark Cover lobby**_

Everyone at Dark Cover is circled around Harold Vandenburg in the lobby area. Vandenburg tells everyone "I have some good news and I have some rather awful news to pass along to you this morning. First, the good news. There is one less terrorist organization to worry about now." Tom yells from the back "Please say the Covenant!" The rest of Dark Cover laughs and even Vandenburg chuckles. "I'm afraid not. But, I'm sure most of everyone is here is familiar with the Alliance of Twelve?" Most people nod or say "Yeah". Vandenburg smiles. "Well, I've just received confirmation that they were destroyed about a week ago." The rest of the team claps in applause. Vandenburg continues. "The CIA led a successful raid of their facility in Los Angeles while intelligence agencies around the world shut down the other 11." Someone asks "What did the Alliance do exactly? What was their specialty?" Vandenburg says "They were followers of the prophet Milo Rambaldi. I'm not 100% sure what exactly was in his prophecy, but it was enough to gather a cult following among some rather bad people. Anyway, it's ancient history now, I guess." Vandenburg pauses for a bit. "And now for the rather awful news. It concerns James Lennox." Tom raises his eyes a bit as the rest of Dark Cover stirs a bit. Tom asks "Did something happen to him?" Vandenburg looks at Tom. "His deep cover mission was compromised. Apparently, for the past month, Lennox was in captivity while Doctor Markovic cloned himself in Lennox's image and posed as him." Mike says "So, Project Helix is up and running." Vandenburg nods. "It does appear that way. Anyway, he was able to escape and deliver the information on Helix to the CIA. We have it as well, and that chapter I can officially say is closed. But...and this is hard for even me to say since we go back a ways..." Vandenburg hangs his head and appears pained. "Emma lost her life. She was duped by the clone of Lennox." The rest of the team has looks of disappointment and some audible groans are heard. Tom asks "How's James taking all of this?" Vandenburg says "He's pretty tore up. He's taking a month off to recover, but he swore to me that he'd be back." Tom nods, but doesn't say anything. After a bit of awkward silence, Vandenburg says "Ok everyone, let's get to work. Everyone's been doing great lately, let's keep it up." Tom and the rest of Storm Crew head back to their office a little somber.

_**Parts Unknown**_

Meanwhile, we see Elena and Avian overlooking a man that is lying on an operating table. We see a doctor and a couple of other helpers standing over the man as well as a nurse puts the final staples in the man's shoulder to close up an open cut that extends all the way down his arm. When she's finished, she says "Done" and walks away. The doctor looks up at Elena, who gives him a small headnod. We see the doctor inject something into an IV drip. After a few seconds, the man wakes up screaming in pain. His body spasms as he tries to fight his restraints. The other nurses there hold the man down anyway while the doctor looks at the man's heart monitor. He sees the man's blood pressure is elevated as well as his heart rate. The doctor then gets another syringe and fills it with some other fluid. He then injects it into the man's IV drip. After a few seconds, the man appears to calm down. His blood pressure stabilizes as well as his heart rate. The man mutters "What...what did you do to me?" The doctor lowers his mask and looks at the man. He says in a thick Russian accent "It worked. No one has survived this long." The doctor looks up at Elena. "The skeleton in the upper body between the neck and hip was replaced. Elena, Project Alloy is a success." Elena smiles and looks over at Avian. "It's time for the Caretaker to start fulfilling his destiny."

**Play theme**: youtube dot com /watch?v=22Vz-ngNomA

_**Baltimore, MD- Mitch's house**_

Mitch walks in the door of their house. Just inside the door is their living room, which backs into their kitchen and dining room. "Cheryl, Richie, I'm home!" he proclaims as he closes the front door behind him. We see a very young boy run up to him. "Daddy!" Mitch smiles as he kneels down to hug the boy. "Richie! How was pre-school today?" Richie says "Good!" Mitch releases the hug and looks in Richie's eyes. "How are the other kids in class?" Richie says "Ok!" Mitch ruffles Richie's hair a bit. "Good, now, go get ready for dinner!" Richie runs off to the bathroom as Cheryl walks up and gives Mitch a hug and kiss. She asks "How was work?" Mitch smiles. "Pretty good. Sounds like Richie is enjoying pre-school finally." Cheryl nods her head. "He is. The teachers say he's acclimating well." Mitch walks over to the kitchen and spots a manila envelope on the table. Mitch asks Cheryl "What's this?" Cheryl looks over. "Oh, a courier dropped that off for you today. Doesn't say who it's from." Mitch picks up the envelope and starts walking to the bedroom. Cheryl says "Dinner will be ready in a bit!" Mitch turns around and smiles. "I'm just going to change into something more comfortable, I'll be right out!" Cheryl smiles and then goes back to fixing dinner as Mitch shuts the bedroom door behind him. He sits down on the edge of the bed and opens up the envelope. He grabs the stack of papers out and looks at the first piece of paper on top, which is a typed up letter. The letter says:

_Mitch,_

_It is time for you to reclaim the Storm Crew throne. Enclosed is documentation about a building in Cordoba, Spain. Inside that building is the supposed whereabouts of Doctor Sergei Kozlov. He has found a way to substitute a portion of a man's skeleton with a titanium replica. You will present Storm Crew with the information I have provided, which you will say came from an informant, and set up the mission for three days from now._

_During this mission, it is our intent to capture Tom Falk. After he is presumed dead or MIA, you should be able to take over the reigns at Storm Crew by virtue of your experience. If this mission succeeds, your requirement to us will be fulfilled._

_Congratulations and good luck._

_E.D._

After finishing reading the letter, Mitch grins and falls back onto the bed with a relieved look on his face. Cheryl calls from the kitchen "Time for dinner!" Mitch sits back up and hurriedly puts the papers back in the envelope and throws them into his small safe under the bed.

_**Edgewood, MD- Storm Crew headquarters (the next day)**_

Tom is standing near the projector screen as the rest of the Storm Crew team is gathered at their desks. Tom clicks on a remote and displays a picture. "Mitch has gathered intel from an informant of his that a doctor that has mastered a bone replacement procedure for the Covenant. He's been hiding out in Cordoba, Spain. His name is Doctor Sergei Kozlov, and he's the head of Project Alloy." Mitch says "This doctor has been able to successfully replace skeletal systems with titanium alloy replicas." Chris laughs. "Mutations, cloning, and now Terminators, oh my! What will the Covenant do next?" Tom says "Chris, this is serious. This kind of technology in the right hands would give amputees a chance at having a normal arm or leg again." Mitch says "My guess is the Covenant wants to make their soldiers indestructible. Broken bones, arthritis, ankle sprains would all be a thing of the past." Tom says "I believe this might have been what Valeri Varlamov was going to tell us a few months ago before he was killed in Tokyo." Mitch hangs his head a bit as Chris gives him a glare. Tom clicks on the remote to show schematics of a five-story building. "Now, it's believed that Kozlov is conducting these experiments in the middle room of the third floor. Now, I'm told that there's no roof access, so we'll have to enter through the front door. This means that EVERYONE, with the exception of David, will be on this mission. David will be nearby to provide us details on what we're facing via shortwave communications." David, standing outside his op-tech room door, says "And you can't go in the front door stealthily. They use a security system that I've never even heard of, but we should be able to blow the door open." Charlie cracks his knuckles. "Consider it done, lads!" The rest of the team laughs. Tom says "I figured it's been a little while since you've been able to play with explosives on a mission. You're probably going through withdrawals!" Charlie laughs and says "Yeah, I guess I can cancel my stint in rehab now!" The team laughs again a bit. Tom says "We leave for Cordoba two days from now. We'll meet here, gather our things, and be on a flight to Cordoba at 8 AM at Baltimore Washington International. As usual, we'll have a private plane. Any questions?" No one raises any questions. Tom says "Good. That'll be all." Tom turns off the projector and walks towards his seat. As Tom sits down, Mike leans over to Tom's ear. "Can I talk to you for a second in the interrogation room?" Tom looks over and nods as he follows Mike into the room. Mitch looks at them for a bit, wondering why they're wishing to talk privately, but doesn't say anything.

In the interrogation room, Mike goes around to both cameras and unplugs the video cords. Tom asks "What is it?" Mike looks over at Tom angrily after pulling the last video cord. "I wanted to do this here and not in front of the team. I hate questioning your judgment, but why are you putting us all at risk over information from Mitch? You trust him now?" Tom shakes his head. "Mike, it's not that simple..." Mike screams "YES IT IS!" Tom, a little perturbed, says "Lower your voice, do you want this whole place to hear our conversation?" Mike paces, still frustrated. "It's one thing when Mitch was doing this on another team, but now, he's putting us all at risk. Who is this informant he has, and how did he get his information?" Tom says "Mike, since coming to my team, Mitch has straightened up. Plus, I really don't think he's a double." Mike throws his arms up. "WHAT?" Tom sighs and starts pacing the other way. "This stays between you and me, but after the Tokyo blunder, I took Mitch out to the field to the left of where we turn to get into Dark Cover. I gave him a gun and turned my back...and he didn't pull the trigger." Mike, now looking aghast, says "Are you insane? Why would you do that?" Tom says "Because I wanted to see if Mitch really had the capacity to betray me by his own hands." Mike throws his hands up. "So what? All that proved was that he's a coward! Who's to say the Covenant won't do his dirty work for him?" Tom shakes his head. "Mike, if he was truly afraid of betraying me, he would have shown it to me in our missions since he came on my team. But since you two traded places, he's been nothing short of a solid hand." Mike looks down and shakes his head. "I just don't trust him. I get the feeling he's leading us into a trap." Tom says "I don't. He had his chance to show his dark colors a few months back and he didn't take it. I had the same concerns you did. In fact, I'm still keeping a watchful eye over him. But, this is solid stuff he gave us. I might have misjudged him before." Mike, who was looking down at the ground, looks back up. "Tom, you'd never lead us astray. I'll trust your judgment." Tom pats Mike on the shoulder. "We'll be fine. Trust me." Tom walks back into the Storm Crew office, leaving Mike to reattach the video cables from the video cameras.

_**Towson, MD- Tom's apartment**_

Kate is in the kitchen cooking dinner when she gets a phone call. She answers the phone. "Hello?" On the other end, we see Paul Poulson, the private investigator. "Katie Hibbits?" Kate says "Yes! Who is this?" Paul says "Paul Poulson, the private investigator you want to hire to track your husband!" Kate slaps her forehead. "Oh, duh! Hi! Thanks for getting back to me!" Paul says "Sorry it took so long, I had a couple of long term clients that just wrapped up. Do you still want me to track your husband?" Just as he asks that, we see Tom walk in the door. "Hey hon, smells good!" Kate looks over at Tom and smiles. She points to the phone, which Tom acknowledges with a wave and walks away. Kate says "Yeah, let's go ahead and do that." Paul says "Ok. I'll start looking up some background information on him. I also want to set up a sex sting on him." Kate asks "What is that?" Paul says "Does Tom go out for drinks a lot?" Kate says "Yeah, him and his friends like to go out to the Terrapin Tavern up here in Towson." Paul nods his head. "Ok, I'm familiar with that place. Any night in particular he likes to go?" Kate says "Usually Saturdays. He usually leaves here around 8 in the evening or so." Paul says "Ok, well, I have a lady that works for me that's rather easy on the eyes. If a man is cheating on his wife or girlfriend, usually he'll have no problem cheating on them with this woman. Trust me, I don't see men turn this gal down very much!" Kate laughs a bit. "Ok, go for it. Let me know how it goes!" Paul says "Will do. I'll be in touch." Paul hangs up and so does Kate with a smile as Tom comes back from the bedroom. "Who was that?" Kate looks at Tom a little surprised as she hangs up the phone. "Oh, that was Tanya, Chris's wife. She's at the mall and she was just asking me some advice on some shoes she found." Tom nods his head. "Ah, that woman likes her shoes. What was this about the Terrapin Tavern that I heard?" Kate, hiding her nerves, says "Oh, she just wanted to see if you and Chris were going to be there as usual Saturday night. She wanted to know if we wanted to have another girls night out." Tom smiles. "Go for it. I've got another undercover mission that I'll have to spend an overnighter Friday working on and I'll probably have a mountain of paperwork to do during the day Saturday." Kate asks "Is this another out of town mission?" Tom says "Yeah, we're going down and helping out the D.C. Police on a drug sting. No big deal, but unfortunately, drug lords don't work 9 to 5's. You know that." Kate smiles and says "Yeah, yeah. Come on, I've been the wife of a cop for over a decade, you think nothing gets inside this blonde head of mine?" Tom laughs and walks over and gives Kate a kiss. "Of course not." Kate smiles a bit and then goes back to cooking. As Tom walks away to the living room, we see Kate look over a little remorseful, but not remorseful enough to break her away from cooking dinner.

_**Edgewood, MD- Storm Crew headquarters (two days later)**_

We see the entire team loading up equipment at their office. Tom finishes up filling his bag and he puts it on his shoulder. Tom looks around and sees the op-tech room closed and locked up. Tom asks "Where's David?" Jerome says "He's over at Lisa's desk outside talking to her." Tom nods his head. "Ok. Guys, when you're ready, meet me in the parking garage." Tom then walks out of the office. He looks over left to see David and a very pregnant Lisa hugging each other tightly. David looks up and sees Tom looking at them. David lets go of the hug and picks up his bags. He gives Lisa a quick kiss and walks over to Tom. Tom notices David looking down. "Hey, are you alright?" David shakes his head. "Lisa could have our child at any minute, and I hope I can be there." Tom pats David on the back. "You will. We'll leave Cordoba tomorrow morning and you'll be back by the early afternoon." David looks up at Tom as they stop at the elevator. "I want you to be there when she has the kid." Tom smiles and nods his head. "I'll be there. You can count on it." David looks down and says "Thanks. I appreciate it." The elevator door opens and they walk in.

_**Cordoba, Spain**_

A humvee and a Hummer pull up in a parking lot outside of an office building in a warehouse district of Cordoba. It's dusk and there doesn't appear to be much going on around the building. Most of Storm Crew exit the hummer while Jacob and Luke get out of the van. Inside the van, we see various monitors and other electronic equipment set up and David sitting in a chair looking at it all. The team gathers near the open van door. Everyone is suited up in Kevlar vests and each member has a machine gun in their hands. Tom says "Circle around me, guys." The team follows the order, including David, who jumps out of the van to get in the circle. Tom starts off. "Guys, for nearly two years, I've been proud to be your leader. For some of you, I haven't worked with you enough, as we haven't really had many of these full crew missions. But tonight, we are going in to what likely will be a massive firefight. Everyone here...with the exception of David, who will be back here being our eyes from afar, has trained for and executed these type of missions. Guys, let's go in there, get that limb-replacing doctor, and let's go home to our families and live to fight another day, and the day after that...and the DAY AFTER THAT!" The team lets out a loud "YEAH!" Tom holds his right arm up, and the rest of the team follows suit. Tom yells out "Strength and honor, gentlemen!" The rest of the team follows suit with a "Strength and honor!" of their own. Mitch asks Tom "How shall we proceed?" Tom looks over at David. "Are those infrared satellites good to go?" David looks at a screen. "Yeah, looks like most of the fighting will come on the second floor. Nothing on the first floor, and the third floor has just a couple heat signatures." Tom nods his head. "Ok guys, put in your earpieces." The team puts their earpieces in. Tom says "Ok, two wide, two deep front to back, Charlie in the middle. We have to shield Charlie so he can set the explosives. My team will be out front, Mike, your team takes his back." Mike nods his head. "Got it." The team gets into their positions and trots out to across the street towards the office building. We hear through their earpieces as they cross the road "You're clear, go to the door". Tom puts his finger to his ear. "Got it, Commodous." The team gets to the door and the front splits off so Charlie can set a canister at the double doors. As he's doing that, Tom motions for the team to swing around to the left side of the building when Charlie lights the fuze. We see Charlie light the fuze and the team scamper to the left side of the building. The canister explodes and the front doors that once were there are now gone. Tom holds his hand up to the team, ordering them to wait, then puts his finger to the ear. "Commodous, anyone coming our way?" David, looking at the satellite, says "Yeah, small force coming down the stairs." Tom looks back at Mike's team. "Mike, go around the back and flank them on the other side. We'll start shooting as they get out of the front door. We'll then pull back and you guys get them from behind when they're chasing us. Go, double time!" Mike, Chris, Charlie, and Jacob take off. Tom looks at the other five. "Line up to the right of me. At my signal, unleash hell." The rest of the team lines up as ordered as Tom looks around the corner and awaits the first troops to come out. When they start pouring out of the building, Tom yells "NOW!" and the rest of the team swings around and opens fire along with Tom. They mow down the first few troops before pulling back. The rest of the troops get mowed down by Mike's flanking team as they were turning to give chase to Tom's team. Mike yells "All clear!" Tom and the rest of his team walk up to meet them at the open doorway. "Good work, but I feel we just scraped the tip of the iceberg here." David, through the earpiece, says "No, you actually got a good amount of them. Probably about a fourth or a fifth of their 2nd floor force." Tom asks "A fourth or a fifth? You mean there's still at least 60 to 80 of these guys waiting for us?" David says "Yeah, that's a good estimate." Tom looks over at Mitch. "Your informant was off on his numbers, Mitch." Mitch shrugs, not knowing what to say. Tom asks David "Is anyone else moving our direction?" David says "No, but they're all posted up just waiting for you. Once you get up the main stairs to the front of you, there will be troops waiting in the hallway as well as some in the adjacent two rooms." Tom looks at Mike. "Mike, you're the stealthy one between us two. You and the three others advance to the third floor and locate the doctor. From what David is saying, you should be able to handle the resistance up there...BUT DON'T SHOOT THE DOCTOR! Me, Mitch, Eddie, Jerome, and Luke will hold off the flood in the second floor, hopefully long enough for you to get the doctor. Follow behind us, we'll draw their fire, and you sneak around behind us and go up the steps." Mike nods. "Got it." Tom says "Let's go!"

Tom's team runs into the lobby and up the steps with Mike's team following. At the top of the steps, it splits off into two separate stairwells going the other way and up, one to the left and right. Tom stops and looks at Mitch. "You, Jerome, and Luke, go right. Me and Eddie will go left. Mike, split up yourselves and wait for us to give you the go-ahead!" Mike nods as Tom's team takes off in their respective directions. As predicted, at the top of the steps, there's a bottleneck hallway with troops just waiting for them. Tom's team opens fire down the hallway before posting up on each side of the hallway entrance. Mike's team waits down the stairs for Tom to give the ok. From the stairs, Charlie yells out "Here, let me help you!" Charlie then tosses a grenade down the hallway. The explosion kills some of the troops down the hall, and has the others disoriented. Tom says "Good work! Mike, you guys go up!" Mike's team takes off up the third floor stairs while the Covenant troops down the hall re-gather themselves after the explosion.

Mike's team hits the top of the steps. Unlike the second floor, the top of the steps opens up to a wide open room with a double door on the other side. Through his earpiece, David says "Only a handful of people up here, and they're all in the middle room." Mike nods. "Just as Mitch said...interesting." Mike, Chris, Charlie, and Jacob cross the room carefully, looking around to make sure there's not an ambush. In the room are various desks and computer monitors, but no one is present. Mike gets up to the double doors, which each have a small window in them. Mike looks in through a window and sees five Covenant troops in there along with a man in a doctor's outfit hunched over a table. Mike squats down and looks at the other team members. "Alright guys, shock and awe. Just 5 troops and the doctor in the middle. Do not shoot the doctor!" Mike grabs the door handle and holds out three fingers in his other hand...then two...then one. He flings the door open, rushes in and starts firing on the other troops. The rest of the team follows and they all get the drop on the troops...but much to their surprise, the 'doctor' spins around with a gun of his own and starts firing. He catches Jacob in the vest, but Chris puts a bullet in his leg. Mike checks on Jacob. "Ok, he's fine. Got him in the vest." Mike then walks over to the 'doctor' and notices immediately he looks nothing like Kozlov. "Where is Doctor Kozlov?" The wounded 'doctor' starts laughing. "You thought Doctor Sergei Kozlov was here? Hahaha!" Mike presses the tip of his gun in the bullet wound, which causes the 'doctor' to scream. "WHERE IS HE?" The man, in serious pain, says "I don't know! But he's not here! Whoever told you that he was here was lying!" Mike looks up and smirks. "Mitch...that son of a bitch..." Chris looks in at the other room on the other side of their room and sees nothing. Mike walks back to the rest of his team. "We've gotta abort, Mitch betrayed us. He's not here."

Meanwhile, in the second floor, Tom's team is struggling. Tom is posted up on one side and Mitch is on the other. When one person loses ammo, the person behind him takes his place and starts shooting. The team hasn't been able to advance since Mike's team went up. Eddie gets in Tom's ear. "Man, seems like when we kill one of these guys, two are there to take his place!" Just as Eddie finishes saying that, Tom takes a bullet in the shoulder. Tom crumples to the ground and growls in pain as slides over to the right as Eddie checks on him. Tom waves him off. "I'm fine, it just nicked me! Bullet passed through!" Quickly, Luke runs over to Eddie's side to keep the rotation going. With Eddie's back turned, we see someone come up from the first floor with what looks like an aluminum bat. Mitch turns and notices, but doesn't say anything, thinking this must be where Tom gets captured. Jerome and Luke don't notice as they're reloading and Eddie doesn't notice because he's busy firing on the Covenant troops down the hall. The man with the bat starts jogging up to Tom, who's sitting on the floor with his back turned to the guy. The man goes to wind up for the knockout blow. Just as he does, we hear Chris from the stairway above scream "TOM! LOOK OUT!" Tom turns just in time to notice the bat coming for his head and hits the floor, just barely missing the bat. Luke, having reloaded, turns and shoots the man in the head. Tom gets to his knees and looks at the man, then at Luke. "Nice shot!" Then he looks back at the man. "Why the hell was this guy going to brain me with a bat? Why didn't he just kill me?" Mitch, looking at the dead man and Tom on his knees, has a hard time hiding his disappointment. Chris jogs up and checks on Tom's shoulder wound as Mike, Charlie, and Jacob catch up. Mike yells at Tom "KOZLOV ISN'T HERE! WE WERE TRICKED!" Tom turns quickly at Mike shocked, looks down the hallway at the Covenant troops gathered, and then at the man with the bat. Tom's face tightens up and he gazes over at Mitch angrily. "You..." Before he can continue, Mike screams "WE NEED TO ABORT!" Tom looks back at Mike and nods his head, then looks out at Mitch, Eddie, Luke, and Jerome. "EVERYONE! ABORT! ABORT! TO THE VEHICLES!" The team takes off, but we see some Covenant troops giving chase. As he's going down the first flight of stairs, we see Charlie pull out a brick of C-4 and stick a short fuse at the end. He stops halfway down the final flight of steps to the first floor. Tom looks back at Charlie. "What are you doing? Come on!" Charlie lights a match. "I have to cover our escape!" Charlie lights the fuze and sets the C-4 on the steps and runs out of the building with Tom and the rest of the team.

Just as Tom and Charlie exit the building, the C-4 explodes. Tom and Charlie look back and see the stairway completely blown out. Tom pats Charlie on the back. "Nice move. Always good to have spares." Charlie grins. "You got that, boss." Tom and Charlie jog across the street to join the rest of the team. Jacob and Luke are in the van with David while Mike is at the wheel and Mitch in the front passenger's seat in the Hummer with the rest of the team. Charlie runs to the back seat, but Tom stops and opens the passenger's seat and drags Mitch out and throws him to the ground. As Mitch hits the ground, Tom looks at him with a fury in his eyes and screams "YOU EFFING TRAITOR!" Tom dives on Mitch and starts punching his face repeatedly. Then, he reaches for his ankle and pulls out a gun and points it at Mitch's head. However, Charlie tackles him as Tom's gun goes off, narrowly missing Mitch's head. Tom pushes Charlie off of him incensed. "He's got to go! He betrayed us! He set me up to die execution style and put us all in risk on a wild goose chase! HE'S FINISHED, CHARLIE!" Mike runs up to him. "Tom, it's not right to kill him now!" Tom looks at Mike with an angry look. "Come on, Mike! You know he's a rat! You knew it all along and I doubted you, and because of that, we're lucky to leave with our lives! Now, let's take care of this problem!" Mike says "We may have done some messed up things when we were in the Anti-Cartel, but we never murdered our own." Tom points the gun at Mitch again, who's still in pain from being hit in the face repeatedly by Tom. Tom says "Well, Mitch took some fire during the retreat and died from a gunshot to the face. That's my story." Mike walks up to Tom and forces Tom's gun hand down. "No. We can't do that. You know that." Tom gives Mike a little bit of a look, but relaxes a bit and walks up to Mitch and forces him to his feet. Tom gets in Mitch's bloodied face. "YOU LISTEN TO ME, YOU PIECE OF SHIT! YOU'RE FINISHED WITH STORM CREW! LUKE IS TAKING YOUR SPOT ON MY TEAM PERMANENTLY! SINCE I CAN'T FIRE YOU, I'M GOING TO MAKE YOUR LIFE WITH US ABOUT AS FUN AS GETTING A ROOT CANAL! IF WE NEED COPIES, YOU MAKE THEM! IF A PRINTER RUNS OUT OF TONER, YOU REPLACE IT! IF CHRIS WANTS CRAB CAKES, YOU GET HIM SOME GODDAMN CRAB CAKES! BUT AS LONG AS YOU'RE UNDER CIA CONTRACT, YOU WILL NEVER..._EVER..._SEE THE FIELD AGAIN!" Mitch starts to mumble "Tom, I didn't..." Mitch is stopped by Tom putting his right hand around his throat. Tom walks Mitch over to the Hummer and throws him in the back seat forcefully by his throat, much to the surprise of Chris sitting on the other side. Tom looks at Chris. "You make damn sure Mitch doesn't speak or even move for the whole trip back." Tom reaches in the front passenger's seat and pulls out a towel. He goes to the back and throws it in Mitch's face. "Wipe your face off, asshole, you're bleeding on the seats." Tom then gets in the front passenger's seat as Mike enters the driver's seat and Charlie reluctantly sits next to Mitch in the back seat. The Hummer and van take off finally.

_**Edgewood, MD- CIA Dark Cover**_

Tom storms into the Dark Cover lobby as the rest of the team gets off the elevator slowly. People notice the fire in Tom's eyes as he breezes past them. Then they look over and notice the cuts and bruises on Mitch's face. No one says anything as Storm Crew walks by them, though. Tom heads up the stairs and busts into Vandenburg's office. Vandenburg, who looks like he was working on something, jumps a bit. "Tom! What..." By this point, Tom has gotten to his desk and is now leaning in his face. "I don't know what voodoo that your dad is capable off, but I want Mitch off of Storm Crew and out of this division, effective immediately!" Vandenburg stands up. "What happened in Spain?" Tom stands up straight and starts pacing. "Mitch betrayed us." Vandenburg asks "How so?" Tom says "He mysteriously got this information that Doctor Sergei Kozlov was going to be there. Well, first off, he only said we'd face about 40 Covenant troops when there were really a 100. Second, when Mike's team went up to the third floor, guess what? No doctor!" Vandenburg says "I see. Anything else?" Tom's face crunches up a bit, a sign of his anger. "After I got nicked in the shoulder, I almost got beheaded by some assassin wielding a metal Louisville Slugger. I was marked for execution...or something else, I don't know. Vandenburg, this was a giant setup." Vandenburg turns away from Tom and starts pacing. "Before he left, Lennox alerted me that he might be a mole. It appears he might have had a valid reason to believe that." Vandenburg sits down at his desk and looks at Tom seriously. "I'm afraid there's nothing I can do this very moment, though." Tom shakes his head. "What? We're just going to let a rat keep his job?" Vandenburg says "You made it a point to have him signed to an ironclad contract when you brought him on." Tom puts his hand on his forehead like he's got a headache. "Oh jeez..." Vandenburg says "There is a possible legal remedy to this, but you wouldn't be able to go in front of the Intelligence Committee and state your case for at least 6 months, maybe longer." Tom nods his head. "Get it started. What can I do to start the process?" Vandenburg says "Make sure to give me a detailed report of this mission. I'll add it to previous notes about Mitch that James, Chris, and you have provided to me in the past. Meanwhile, I'll start the inquiry immediately." Tom asks "Can't you suspend him in the meantime?" Vandenburg sits back and nods his head. "I can suspend him for a month for the faulty information on how much resistance you would be facing, but that's it." Tom nods his head. "That's fine. When he gets back, I'll make him available to the rest of the office for clerical duty and other menial jobs. Treat him like an intern. He's not allowed to go back out on the field in any capacity." Vandenburg nods. "Done. Send him up to my office." Tom nods his head and walks out.

Tom walks into the Storm Crew office, where he sees Mitch sitting in his usual spot, looking despondent with his head in his hand. The rest of the team is huddled near the vending machines to the left. Tom tells Mitch "Vandenburg wants a word with you. Now." Mitch stands up, but Tom gets in his face. "You're going on a little vacation for leading us to that death trap...but you're getting a stay of execution from the CIA for a few months. Start thinking about how you're going to get out of this one. Maybe your friends at the Covenant can help." Mitch, through the tears, cuts, and bruises in his face, says "I'm not working for them. Please believe me!" Tom shakes his head slowly. "If you were to tell me that grass was green, the sky was blue, and birds make a chirping sound when they communicate with each other, I wouldn't believe you. There is nothing you can do to make me believe anything you say. Now, go see Vandenburg and get the hell out of our office." Tom stares at Mitch angrily, and Mitch responds with a glare of his own before walking out. After Mitch leaves, Tom looks over to the rest of the team. "Does anyone have a problem with what I did in Spain?" No one answers for a while. Chris says "I would have finished the job there." Jacob nods his head too. "I agree. That man hasn't been straight with us for a while, and now he nearly gets us all killed. He's got to go." Mike shakes his head. "Guys, we flushed him out as a traitor, that's all we can do." Eddie nods his head. "Mike is right. Let's let the CIA handle him." Tom says "Well, he's still going to be a problem for a couple of months, but the toughest job he'll handle for us will be removing paper jams from the printer." Tom turns away from them and looks down. "Guys, we've been together for almost two years. And that mission was probably our biggest failure to date. And it wasn't the fault of any of ours except for that vermin that's up in Vandenburg's office right now. Everyone in here, in this room, did their jobs and did them well, considering the circumstances." Chris raises Charlie's hand. "How about a round of applause for our explosives guy for getting us in and getting us out! He's the MVP of the mission!" Tom turns and starts clapping, which causes everyone else to clap. Charlie shrugs and looks embarrassed. "Just doing what the good Lord gave me." Tom says "No, good improvising out there. You gave Mike's team cover with the grenade, then using the extra C-4 to cover our escape. That's very solid work. Now I know what I've been missing out for almost two years with you on the other team!" The rest of the team laughs a bit. Tom smiles for the first time in a while. "I still have to write the debrief, but afterwards, who's up for a night at the Terrapin Tavern? And Charlie, you're coming, and you're not paying for a single drink. Got that?" Charlie smiles. "Do I look like a guy that would miss out on a chance at free alcohol?" The rest of the team laughs. Chris, Mike, Eddie, and Jacob raise their hands. Jerome says "I promised my wife and kid I'd be back tonight." David says "Same here. I hope Lisa hasn't had the kid yet..." Tom raises his eyes. "Oh, that's right! If she starts going into labor tonight, give me a call!" David says "Will do." Luke says "I'm still not old enough to drink yet, so I'm out." Tom nods his head as the main door opens behind him. The whole team turns their attention to Mitch being followed by Vandenburg. We see Mitch grab his coat and keys from the table, give Tom and the rest of the team a remorseful look, and starts to walk out of the room. Tom asks Vandenburg "Do you need someone to escort him out of here?" Vandenburg shakes his head. "No, that won't be necessary. He's going on his own free will." Tom nods his head. "A true sign of guilt." Vandenburg gives a small nod, but doesn't say anything as he follows Mitch out of the room.

_**Towson, MD- Terrapin Tavern**_

We join up with Tom, Charlie, Chris, Mike, Eddie, and Jacob at your average corner booth at your average bar. We see Tom finish a beer, and ask the table "Does anyone need a refill?" At the same time, a couple of tables over, we see Paul Polson get on a cell phone. "Ok, Nancy, time to do your thing." Tom stands up and walks up to the bar. At the same time, this tall, long-legged blonde-haired woman walks into the bar. She's wearing a red cocktail dress that shows off her assets and basically has the attention of every man in the bar, including the men still at the Storm Crew table. At the bar, Tom tells the bartender "6 beers, please." The bartender turns around and starts grabbing bottles. At the same time, the woman walks up and stands next to Tom. She finds another bartender and says "1 cosmopolitan please!" She then looks over at Tom, who smiles at her, but doesn't do anything else. Nancy, unfazed, leans over and says "I'm Nancy. What are you drinking?" Tom looks over and says "Oh, I'm with my co-workers. We're just drinking a couple of beers after a hard day's work." Nancy asks "What were you working so hard on a Saturday?" Tom shrugs. "We work for the Baltimore PD." Nancy says "Oh, you're cops?" Tom smirks. "Something like that. Crime doesn't stop on the weekends." Nancy laughs. "That is SO true, I had my car broken into Sunday. Don't people have any shame?" Tom laughs a bit as the bartender sets the 6 beers on the bar table. Tom looks over at Nancy. "Well, it was nice to meet you. Have a good night." Nancy reaches out her arm and grabs Tom's right arm before he can grab the drinks. "Oh, you don't have to go back to your friends so quickly." Tom looks at her incredulously. "Uh, yes I do. These are their drinks." Nancy says "Well, could you come back and talk for a while? I think cops are sexy!" Tom looks down and laughs. "Nancy, right?" Nancy's smile gets bigger. "Yup!" Tom looks back up. "Why are you so interested in me? There's probably at least a dozen others here that look like they want to pounce on you like fallen prey." Nancy leans forward. "They're not as cute as you." Tom, with a smirk, leans forward and says "They're also not as married as me. Now, have a good night." Tom grabs the bottles of beer and walks back to the table, leaving Nancy to look at Paul surprised. She shakes her head and walks out of the bar, much to the disappointment of some others at the bar. Tom sees Paul get up from his seat and chase after her. Tom laughs as he hands his team the drinks. "I guess he thinks he has a shot at that."

Outside the bar, we see Paul and Nancy in the parking lot. Paul has a cell phone to his ear. "Hello, Katie?" Kate, back at the apartment, says "Paul? Are you at the Terrapin?" Paul, disappointed, says "Yeah, I'm here with Nancy. Nancy came on to him strong, but Tom didn't take the bait." Kate raises her eyes a bit. "Wow..." Nancy asks for the phone and Paul hands it to her. Nancy says "Hey Katie, this is Nancy." Kate, still a little surprised, says "Hi..." Nancy says "I've seduced a lot of men in my time, but I don't think I ever saw a man just completely turned off to me as Tom was. I don't think he's cheating on you. In fact, I'm actually jealous that you have such a loyal husband." Kate smiles. "Well, thanks for trying. Can I talk to Paul?" Nancy hands Paul the phone again. Paul says "Yeah, you still there?" Kate, disappointed, says "Yeah. I may have been wrong about him." Paul says "Well, not so fast on that..." Kate, surprised, asks "What do you mean?" Paul says "We're still trying to get verification from the Baltimore PD that he's a cop. Normally it comes back right away, but in this case, I still haven't received an answer." Kate nods. "Ok, well, let me know what comes back, ok?" Paul says "I will. Have a good night." Kate hangs up the phone and looks out the window, not sure what to think now.

Back inside the bar, Tom grabs his beer bottle and holds it up for a toast. The rest of the team reaches out their beers for the toast. Tom says "To the survival of the best tactical unit on the planet. Strength and honor...always." The rest of the team utters "Strength and honor" themselves as they touch beer bottles and start drinking. Tom sets down his beer just in time for his cell phone to go off. Tom looks and sees it's David calling. Tom looks at the team. "Uh oh, I think someone's having a baby!" The rest of the team looks surprised as Tom answers the phone. "David! What is it?" David, on the other line, says "I'm on the way to Maryland General Hospital! Lisa's water just broke!" Tom says "I'll be right there." Tom hangs up the phone and chugs down the rest of the beer. Chris asks "Is Lisa having the kid?" Tom finishes and nods. "Yup. I'm going there." Mike asks "Where's she having it at?" Tom says "Maryland General, why?" The rest of the team picks up their beers and chugs them down themselves. Mike then says "We're coming too." Tom smiles and says "Alright, let's go. Let Jerome and Luke know, too!"

_**Downtown Baltimore- Maryland General Hospital**_

We see Tom, Chris, Charlie, Mike, Jacob, and Eddie walk through the parking lot to find Jerome and Luke already there. Tom walks up to them. "I forgot you both lived close to the hospital." Luke says "She's in the Obstetrical Center, but we wanted to wait until you guys got here before we went up there." Tom nods his head. "Alright, let's go. Hopefully she hasn't popped it out yet." The team walks in and piles into an elevator.

In the waiting room, we see David pacing around nervously as his son Davie sits on a chair. Eventually, David looks up and sees Tom and the rest of the Storm Crew team, except Mitch, coming down the hallway. David looks shocked to see all of them. "Whoa, you ALL came?" Chris says "We wanted to be here to see Suzie, man!" David says "I only called Tom..." Tom says "...and I called everyone else. We're all here for you." David looks down at the ground. "Thank you. This time two years ago, no one would have showed up for me." Tom pats David on the back a bit. "You've been here for us since you started at Storm Crew. That's what friends do, we look out for each other." David, now smiling, looks up andnods. Mike asks "Where's Lisa?" David points down the hall. "Third room down on the right." Chris asks "Why aren't you in there with her?" David says "I'm too squeamish for that..." Tom says "Oh no, no, no. Lisa wants you there for support. Come walk with me." Tom reaches around David's shoulders and starts walking down the hall with him. Tom leans over into David's ear. "Just sit next to her, hold her hand, and just keep looking at her face, don't look down at the baby popping out. Got it?" Tom and David walk into the hospital room. Lisa, looking exasperated from the contractions, gives Tom a quick wave. Tom waves back and gives David a little nudge towards her. David gets the hint and walks over and sits next to Lisa and holds her hand. Tom sees David say "If it hurts, squeeze my hand as hard as you need." Lisa says "Thanks..." Tom smiles and walks out of the room.

_**A few hours later...**_

The team sits patiently in the waiting room. Chris is sitting with Davie reading him a story out of a book. Charlie, Eddie, and Jacob have dozed off. Tom is hunched over with his hands folded, thinking about something. Mike and Jerome are sitting across him discussing something about what happened in the news lately. All of the sudden, each one of them jump up as they hear Lisa screaming from her hospital room in labor. Tom takes a deep breath and sits down. "It's ok guys, she's going into labor." Tom sits back down and listens as eventually, Lisa's screams are replaced by the sound of a baby screaming. Chris looks down at Davie. "That's your baby sister!" Davie asks "Why is she crying?" Mike leans over and says "All babies do that when they are born." Davie seems to accept that answer. Mike looks up and stands, causing Tom to stand up himself. Tom looks back to see an exhausted David walking towards them. "7 pounds, 9 ounces. She's here." The team starts clapping and surrounds David. David walks up to Tom and gives him a hug. "Thanks again for being here." Tom pats his back and says "Congrats, man."

_(Music note: Start playing Johnny Cash's "God's Gonna Cut You Down")_

_**Baltimore, MD- Mitch's house**_

We see a cut and bruised Mitch lying on the bed crying in his dark bedroom. He sits up and stares off into space for a while. Then, he picks up a gun, looks at it, and then points it at his temple. He then starts sobbing and drops the gun and lies back down on the bed.

_**Towson, MD- Tom's house**_

Kate wakes up when she gets a phone call. It's Paul Polson. He says "Katie, I have some news on your husband." Kate, a little groggy, says "What is it?" Paul says "Tom is not a Baltimore cop." Kate has a look of shock on her face. "What is he?" Paul says "I don't know. I'm still trying to figure that out." Kate sets the phone down with an angry look on her face.

_**Baltimore, MD- Maryland General Hospital**_

We see the team lined up outside of the nursery looking at David's baby girl Susan. We see Tom looking on with a smile on his face as we hear Johnny Cash say _"Tell 'em that God is gonna cut him down." _The episode ends after that lyric.

**NEXT EPISODE: TORINO**


	12. Chapter 9: Torino

**TORINO**

**Dayperiod of episode: Very early June, 2003 (Just after Season 2 of Alias)**

_**Towson, MD- Tom's apartment **_

**June 4, 2003**

Tom is sitting at the kitchen table drinking coffee and reading a newspaper. He's dressed for work already. Kate is sitting across from him. Tom sees something in the paper. "Freaking Cardinals..." Kate looks up. "Yeah, they lost again. It was on the news last night." Tom looks at Kate. "What did the locals have to say about it?" Kate shrugs. "I dunno, I just caught the score." Tom asks "Well, I know the Orioles aren't a great team. Just interested to see what the local sports jocks are saying about the win, if anything." Kate looks up at Tom. "Oh, I dunno, maybe if you were home at a decent hour, you'd have found that info out." Tom rolls his eyes. "Kate, I had work to do." Kate raises her eyebrows sarcastically. "Yeah, ok." Tom slams his newspaper down. "What the hell is wrong with you lately?" Kate looks up, unfazed by Tom's fit of anger. "Just this life." Tom looks confused as he gets a call on his cell phone. Kate sarcastically says "Uh oh, sounds like another mystery job at work." Tom gives Kate a look and turns away to walk in the kitchen. Tom looks at who's calling and looks back at Kate. "It's my sister. Sorry to disappoint." Kate just scowls at him a bit as Tom answers the phone. "Hey Karen. How's it going?" We flash over to Karen, who's been crying. "Tom, I don't know how you're going to take this..." Tom now looks concerned. "What is it?" Karen, fighting back the tears, says "Your father is dead." Tom freezes for a moment, then raises his eyebrows for a bit. He turns to look at Kate, and then turns to the floor. "When did he pass?" Karen says "Last night, he had a massive stroke...he died almost instantly." Tom sighs. "Probably a result of his heavy drinking." Karen says "Oh stop, he hasn't drank in years." Tom chuckles. "Yeah right...anyway, the damage might have been done years ago." Karen says "Well, as you know, I don't have a lot of money..." Tom rolls his eyes. "Karen, he's your problem, not mine." Karen stands up and shouts "I can't afford to bury him! I need your help!" Tom acts like he's going to throw the cell phone against the wall, then gets back on the phone. "Well, just put him in a pine box and bury him somewhere in the woods. It's what he deserves." Karen starts crying again. "How can you be so cold?" Tom says "Takes a cold man to make a cold man." Karen says "Well, if you won't do it for him, at least do it for me. Please, I need your help." Tom looks down at the floor and sighs. "I have to think about this." Karen says "Ok, let me know." Tom hangs up the phone. He thinks for a bit, then looks at Kate and deadpans "Well, daddy's dead." Kate nods her head. "I kind of gathered that. I'm sorry." Tom shrugs. "Nothing to be sorry for. He's been dead to me for a couple decades now, so I'm not exactly hurt here." Kate stands up. "Are you going to his funeral?" Tom laughs. "That's DEFINITELY out of the question. Hell no, I'm abandoning him just as he abandoned me. Karen wants me to help with the burial costs...I have to think about that." Kate says "It's the least you could do." Tom chuckles sarcastically. "No, the least I could do is nothing, which is looking like an attractive option." Kate shakes her head. "How could you be so callous to your own sister?" Tom shakes his head. "It's not about her. It's about funding my father's sendoff and whether I want to or not." Kate stands up quickly. "You really are an asshole." She then walks off to the bedroom and slams the door. Tom puts his phone in his pocket and makes for the front door, shaking his head. "What a way to start the day..."

_**Baltimore, MD- Mitch's house**_

We see Mitch walk out of his front door, looking despondent. As he gets into his car, he gets a call on his cell phone. He sees it's Elena and picks up. "Elena?" We flash to Elena's still undisclosed office. "Mitch, how are you holding up?" Mitch chuckles and deadpans "I love making copies and replacing ink toner. It's really great." Elena says "Well, those days are just about done for you." Mitch, now a little surprised, asks "What do you mean?" Elena looks down. "Mitch, they're moving quickly to get you thrown out of the CIA. Therefore, our plans for you are changing." Mitch shifts in his seat uncomfortably. "What do you mean?" Elena says "Today, when you get to work, James Lennox will be giving details on a mission that will take place a couple days from now. Just like the Spain mission a couple of months ago, although this time, we won't fail." Mitch says "What's going to happen?" Elena says "You'll be on the mission, but we're going to extract you halfway. We'll courier you the details. After the mission, you'll be working for us." Mitch shakes his head. "No way, that wasn't the deal!" Elena stands up. "The DEAL ended when my associate wasn't able to knock out Tom in Spain and when Tom finally caught on to you! I've come to realize that Tom's cagier than I thought, so we need to take drastic measures to secure his capture. This is the only way you'll get your freedom. " Mitch puts his head in his hands. "What about my family?" Elena says "I'll drop off a care package for them. In it, it will detail all your transgressions with me and the Covenant during your time in the CIA. They'll be forced to go into witness protection. Don't worry, Mitch, we're not interested in them. We just want you, and we'll make sure you're extracted." Mitch watches as his son runs out the front door and onto the school bus that has just pulled up. "I'll be labeled a traitor..." Elena smiles. "We'll protect you. No one will know you're even alive anymore." Mitch watches the school bus drive away in his rearview mirror. "So, it's come to this. When and where is the mission?" Elena smirks. "June 6th. Torino, Italy."

**Play theme**: youtube dot com /watch?v=22Vz-ngNomA

_**Edgewood, MD- Near CIA Dark Cover**_

We see Tom driving in his car on the way to work. He's driving through a somewhat abandoned warehouse district and the local hard rock station is blaring through his speakers and he appears to be enjoying the music until he spots a car in his rear view mirror. "Jesus, that same freaking car..." Tom speeds up and makes a quick right turn. The car behind him follows as Tom makes another quick right turn. At the next turn, the car tailing him doesn't spot Tom because he's already made yet another quick right. Tom turns back on the road he was on. As he makes a left turn onto the road that leads to Dark Cover, we see the tail emerge. We zoom in on the driver of the car and see Paul Polson, Kate's private investigator. He's apparently amused. "Haha! Whoo! This boy can drive!"

_**Edgewood, MD- Inside Storm Crew headquarters**_

Tom walks into the door and walks up to Mike and Chris. "I need a word real quick." Tom walks into the interrogation room with Mike and Chris following. Chris asks "What's up?" Tom says "Have you guys had any tails following you the past few days?" Chris and Mike looks at each other and shake their heads. Tom says "Well, I've had a tail on me for at least the last week. He got awfully close to finding out our location this morning. Tomorrow, we need to set him right." Mike says "What do you have in mind?" Tom says "After I pull into work, we need to intercept him before he gets to the entrance. Mike, you pull out and block him after I drive by. Chris, you pull in from behind and trap him. Then, we'll find out who this bastard is." Chris and Mike nod. "Got it."

Tom, Chris and Mike walk out of the interrogation room to see James Lennox walking into their office. Tom gives James a smile. "James! How you doing?" James grins. "Good, thanks. Got some big news I need to share with everyone." James walks up to the projection screen as Tom, Chris, and Mike have a seat. Mitch, seated at his usual spot, glares at Tom for a bit, then looks at James. James shows Doctor Sergei Kozlov's picture on the screen. Chris rolls his eyes and says "Here we go..." James says "We've located Doctor Kozlov. He's operating out of this facility in Torino, Italy." Tom asks "Are we SURE this time? I mean, the last time we tried to chase him down, we walked into a trap and a guy almost went all Barry Bonds on my head." James says "I trust this informant. He's never betrayed me, it's rock solid." Tom nods his head. "Well, you're much more trustworthy than the last schmuck that told us Kozlov was found..." Tom glares at Mitch, who just looks at him blankly. James says "Well, I appreciate the vote of confidence. Anyway, I confirmed that he'll be at the warehouse Tuesday morning. We shouldn't face nearly as much resistance as the last time, but we'll need all hands on deck on this." Tom looks at Mitch again. "Yeah, that means you'll be on coffee duty. We need to be sharp before we go out on this mission." Mitch shakes his head, but says nothing. James says "Tom, that'll be enough." Tom looks back at James and holds up his hands. "That's fine. I just had to beat on the pinata a bit. I find if I don't, I get a little crabby." James doesn't look amused. "Anyway, I'll make sure you get copies of the mission details..." Tom points at Mitch. "Excuse me, we have a man that handles that for us..." Mitch stands up. "Oh, kiss my ass, you..." Tom stands up and looks face-to-face with Mitch. "What are you going to do, coward?" James yells "THAT'S ENOUGH! I'll get the copies. Tom, come talk to me now!" Tom stares Mitch down a bit before walking away with James.

Tom walks in James' office and goes to sit down, but turns around quickly when he hears James slam the door behind him. James, incensed, asks "What the HELL was that back there?" Tom shrugs. "Sorry, I get a little ornery when I'm surrounded by the smell of rat." James walks behind his desk. "Haven't you heard of innocent until proven guilty?" Tom throws his hands up. "Like luring us into a deathtrap in Spain and almost getting my head bashed in ISN'T EVIDENCE ENOUGH?" James finally sits down in his chair. "That's not the point. There's an investigation...what, do you think if you prod him enough, he'll do something that'll get him fired? He CAN'T BE FIRED unless the committee finds evidence of wrongdoing, remember?" Tom leans back. "I know. It's just...I can't let him go through the rest of his career here without being reminded of how much of a jackass he is, whether it's 'proven' or not. Besides, it was you that first raised doubts about him in the first place. Why are you backing off him now?" James shakes his head. "I'm not backing off, I'm saying there's a process, and irritating the man at any chance you get isn't going to speed things up. The man is already dying a slow death inside because of the menial tasks he has to do." Tom looks down at his shoes. "I'll admit that my behavior in there was unprofessional, especially since I had to interrupt you at times to insult him. But what did you think was going to happen if he was found to be a double? This?" James nods his head. "Look, I know it's a bad situation, but just show a little more professionalism in the future. Just because you used to like to get in the gutter in the gangs you dealt with in the Anti-Cartel doesn't mean you have to go down the gutter with your own team." Tom looks at James with a bit of a blank stare. "Got it. Anyway, where is the CIA on their investigation of Mitch?" James shrugs. "Vandenburg doesn't tell me anything about that. I have no idea." Tom nods his head. "I see. Anyway, I've been meaning to ask, how have you been holding up?" James smirks a bit. "I'm ok." Tom says "You loved Emma. Were I in your shoes...I don't know how I'd react." James stands up. "I honestly hope you don't to experience that." Tom stands up as well, but thinks for a bit. "Something I've been thinking about...when you were doubled, why weren't we called to handle things?" James, walking to his office door, says "Unfortunately, Emma's death was made public, and the CIA is doing their best to make sure this division stays completely off the radar. Plus, one of the teams that raided SD-6 was lying dormant, so they figured this would be a good mission for them." Tom nods his head and gives James a light slap on the shoulder. "Well, you've been a fair boss, so I'm glad you're doing ok." James smiles. "Thanks. Keep kicking ass out there. And ease up on Mitch." Tom gives James a little salute as he walks out the door.

**June 5, 2003**

_**Towson, MD- Outside Tom's apartment**_

We see Tom just sitting in his car, thinking. He looks up the stairs that leads to his apartment and starts thinking about what kind of anger and malice Kate will throw at him when he walks in later that night. Tom then pulls out his wallet and looks at a wallet picture of Tom and Kate at their high school prom. He smiles when he sees how happy they were, then he shakes his head. "Things were much simpler back then." Tom then flips the picture over to see a family picture of Tom's parents with Karen and Eddie in the portrait. We see Tom's dad with his hands on the shoulders of the pre-teen Karen while Mary held up Eddie, who was just a toddler at the time. Tom nods his head. "Yeah. The happy times. Too bad I wasn't born yet to experience them." Tom then pulls out his phone and dials a number. On the other end, Karen picks up. "Tom?" Tom says "Hey Karen. I've thought about your proposal earlier." Karen says "The funeral's going to be 5..." Tom cuts her off. "You know, you always loved your dad. You had a bond with him, a relationship. I never did, and neither did Eddie. So, I got to thinking...since you were the apple of his freaking eye, why are you running to me for help? Why should it be my responsibility?" Karen says "He's YOUR father too, Tom!" Tom shakes his head in the car. "No. I never had a father. Grandpa Ed was more of a father to me than my biological father ever was." Karen starts to cry again. "Tom, please don't do this..." Tom says "I'm not contributing a single cent to his burial, and there's nothing you can do or say that will make me change my mind." Karen slams her hand on the table. "WHAT?" Tom says "He's been dead to me for all my life. Why should I give a crap on how he's sent out of this world? He made his choices in life, and I wasn't among them. So, screw him." Karen clenches her fist. "IF YOU TURN YOUR BACK ON YOUR FATHER, YOU'RE TURNING YOUR BACK ON ME!" Tom raises his eyebrows. "Oh, now, there's that daddy abandonment logic coming into focus. Well, you know what they say, the apple doesn't fall far from the tree. Your father had no problem abandoning me, and I see you have no problem with it either. How cute." Karen, now sobbing, mutters among the tears "Damn you, Tom. Damn you." Karen then hangs up the phone. Tom hears the phone click. He just shakes his head a bit as he closes his phone up and drives off for work.

_**Edgewood, MD- Outside CIA Dark Cover**_

We see Tom driving down the abandoned warehouse district like he did the day before. As he approaches the second-to-last turn into CIA Dark Cover, he spots Chris parked where he should be. Tom, through a two-way radio, says "Ok, the green car four lengths behind me. Chris, pull in behind him. Mike, as soon as I drive by, cut the bastard off." We hear Mike and Chris both acknowledge Tom's message as Tom makes the turn. Tom slows down a bit just making sure the guy is following, which he is. Tom then speeds up and makes a quick right. Just then, we see Chris pull behind the guy as he speeds up a bit...until he's stopped by Mike's car cutting him off. From around the corner, Tom runs up to Paul Polson's car with a gun and has it pointed at him. Paul throws his hands up. Tom screams "GET OUT OF THE CAR NOW! HANDS OUT!" Paul opens the door and exits slowly. Tom looks over at Mike. "Check this stalker for weapons." Mike gives him a hard pat down and finds no weapons on Paul. Tom then reaches over and flips Paul around so he can look him in the eyes. "Who the hell are you working for?" Paul, nervously, says "I...I'm just a private investigator." Tom, with his gun still pointed at him, says "FOR WHO?" Paul thinks for a bit, then says "Your wife." Tom lowers his gun, then drops it in shock. "Kate has been tracking me? For what?" Paul says "No, first of all, you have to tell me who it is you work for." Tom grabs Paul by the throat. "You're in no position to be making demands! I'll ask again, why is Kate tracking me?" Paul says "Please let me go, and I'll tell you." Tom eases off his grip, then steps back and folds his arms, awaiting what Paul has to say. Paul says "She heard you a few months ago talk about this Nadia person..." Tom squints his eyes, confused. "How? I don't mention that name around her ever." Paul says "She overheard a conversation you and Mike had at Chris's barbecue." Tom looks over at Mike, who just shrugs. Tom looks back at Paul. "Nadia was a colleague of mine who was transferred to a different department. She had just informed me that we wouldn't be working together very much anymore. Yeah, I was attracted to her, but I never, EVER, laid a finger on Nadia sexually. Mike can vouch for that, he was there with me." Paul looks over at Mike, who gives him a head nod. Paul looks over. "Well, she was still suspicious. I had a woman at the Terrapin Tavern a couple months ago try to seduce you and I determined by your interactions with Nancy that you still faithful." Tom smiles. "Well, has it taken you four months to come to that conclusion just now?" Paul says "I know you are not Baltimore cops. So does Kate." Tom raises his eyes. "WHAT? When did you tell her this?" Paul says "Right after Nancy tried to seduce you." Tom turns and starts to pace. "So, this is why she's been so rigid towards me all this time." Paul asks "I've been following you trying to figure out what it is you do. So far, I've deduced from the places you've been and your actions that you're either gang related or are feds." Tom looks at Chris, then at Mike. Tom then looks back at Paul. "Here's what we're going to do now. After you leave here, you're going to tell my wife that your informant didn't have all the facts about me. As part of my undercover duties, we're not listed on any searchable police roster database. And that will be the end of your investigation. Otherwise, well, I'm sure you have some skeletons in your closet that you don't want dug up, and we're not the kind of people to mess with if you have skeletons in your closet." Paul thinks for a bit, then nods. "So, you're feds. Let me see your badges." Chris asks "Why should we do that, so you can rat us out?" Paul shakes his head quickly. "No! I just want to be sure for my own purposes. I'll tell Kate everything you told me to tell her, just don't go digging into my work, ok?" Tom looks over at Chris and nods his head, then over at Mike with a headnod. Tom reaches into the pocket of his dress shirt and pulls out his CIA credentials. Mike and Chris do the same. Paul looks at them and nods. "Alright, I'm sorry I bothered you." Paul starts getting into the car, but Tom reaches and holds the door open. Paul looks at Tom as he leans in. "If you deviate even just a LITTLE from what I told you to tell Kate, I'll make sure that, not only do you go to prison for what you've done, but you're put in a cell with Bubba the Plumber. And you'll know really quickly why they call him...'The Plumber.'" Paul nods his head quickly. Tom lets go of the car door. Chris gets in his car and backs out so Paul can back out and leave. Tom looks over at Mike, who's clutching his stomach and looking a little in pain. "You alright?" Mike looks up and nods. "Yeah, I'm ok. Just ate something bad, I think. It'll pass." Tom nods. Mike watches Paul drive off in the distance. "Well, there goes one rat." Tom nods his head. "That still leaves us with our other rat problem. Part of me almost wishes we could take Mitch with us to Torino...maybe he'll try to jump ship or...maybe step in front of a bullet." Mike shakes his head. "Tom, the situation is being handled..." Tom cuts him off. "I'm tired of seeing his face. I want him to either jump or be gone. The wheels of justice are turning too slowly." Mike shrugs. "Why would you want him to jump?" Tom smiles. "Because he's worthless if he's outside of earshot from me. I just want to see him try to bail on us!" Before Mike can respond, Tom walks off to get in his car.

_**Baltimore, MD- Tom's apartment**_

We see Kate on the phone with someone in the kitchen. She appears to be really into her conversation until she jumps when Tom flings the front door open. Kate tells whoever is on the phone "Let me call you back." Tom slams the door behind him as Kate asks "What is it?" Tom storms up to Kate and gets in her face. "HOW COULD YOU?" Kate screams back "What?" Tom, his face now getting red, says "You hired a private investigator to track me since February?" Kate walks away from Tom, but stops at the dining table. "I thought you were cheating on me." Tom starts pacing towards the living room. "How the hell could you even think that? We've been with each other for so long, I've never betrayed our marriage...ever." Kate turns around and says "It was all this stuff with you and this Nadia person. Plus, everything about you is a giant secret and I'm getting tired of it! I just wanted to know who the hell my husband is!" Tom relaxes a bit, but still looks a little tense. "I'm Tom, your husband, that boy you fell in love with in high school in Bunker, Missouri. That hasn't changed." Kate looks down disappointed and shakes her head. "Paul called me today. He told me that you were a cop after all, but because of the undercover nature of your job, you're not on any roster sheets." Tom closes his eyes and lets out a deep breath. He then casually walks up to Kate and puts his hands on her shoulders. "Kate, what else could I be?" Kate laughs a bit. "Honestly, I thought you were in illegal crime for a while." Tom looks down and nods. "I know our frugal lifestyle doesn't help matters, but I'm 5...maybe 7 years away from retiring. I promise to you, after I retire, there will be no more secrets." Kate starts to cry, causing Tom to be concerned. "What is it?" Kate looks up at Tom. "I..." Kate walks away to the living room and sits on the couch. Tom walks over to Kate. "What is it, babe?" Kate, with her face in her hands, says "I'm pregnant." Tom raises his eyes a bit. "Oh...wow..." Kate says "I'm two weeks in." Tom thinks for a bit, then closes his eyes. "That night we got drunk while we watched Spider-Man." Kate says "Yeah. Anyway, I'll get an abort..." Tom puts his hand over her mouth. "Kate, do you want the child?" Kate looks up through her tears. "Yeah, but I know you don't want children until you're retired." Tom sits back and thinks for a bit. After a while, he looks over to Kate. "Let's have it." Kate's eyes light up. "Really?" Tom nods and looks down at the ground. "You've been ready for a while and it's been too selfish on my part to keep you from having our first child. At this point, I'll at least be there for him or her through grade school. I think that's fair." Kate smiles and kisses Tom on the cheek. "Oh thank you!" Tom looks back over at Kate and gives her a peck on the lips. Tom then stands up. "I have to get ready for my work function." Kate now looks confused. "Where are you going?" Tom says "I thought I told you...oh well, I have a conference in New York. I should be back in a day, maybe two." Kate smiles and says "Ok. Be safe." Tom nods his head and says "Always" before walking into the bedroom. We see Kate bury her head in her hands. "Oh God, what do I do now?"

_**Edgewood, MD- CIA Dark Cover**_

James is sitting his office going over a file when he gets a call on his desk phone. He picks up. "Hello?" On the other line, we see Mike sitting on the floor of his bathroom looking very much worse for the wear. "James, it's Mike." James gets a look of concern hearing Mike's strained voice. "Mike, are you alright?" Mike shakes his head. "No, I'm sicker than a dog." James nods his head. "Yeah, you mentioned something about that how your stomach was feeling queasy." Mike says "Yeah, and I'm no better today. In fact, I feel a lot worse. I wanted to talk to you about the mission today….." James cuts him off. "The only place you're going today is the hospital. I'll get someone to drive you there." Mike shakes his head. "I've never missed a mission that I was set to go on, and I don't want Tom to know I'm sick." James shrugs. "Why? I'm sure he'd understand." Mike says "Just, please don't tell him I'm sick." James nods his head. "I'll think of something. Get well, ok?" Mike nods. "Yeah, I will. Sorry, James." James shakes his head. "Nothing to be sorry about. I'll see you later." James hangs up as Mike starts to gag a bit. He springs up to the toilet bowl and proceeds to throw up again.

Meanwhile, down in Storm Crew headquaters, we see the team gearing up to go. Well, everyone except Mike. Tom looks down at his watch. "Damn, where the hell is Mike? He's never late." James suddenly walks in. "Tom, I need a word with you." Tom walks out as the rest of the team gets ready. Tom follows James halfway up the stairwell. James stops and turns to Tom. "I had to task Mike to track someone at the last minute, so he's not going to be available for this mission." Tom looks dumbfounded. "What? We're ready to roll!" James says "The CIA is still worried about me going out into the field after what happened to me a few months ago and Mike was the only one available to go on this mission." Tom looks down and nods his head. "So, that's going to leave us shorthanded." James says "We can abort if you feel you don't feel confident enough." Tom looks down at his feet, then gets an evil smile on his face. "There's a field we have to cross to get to the facility." James shrugs. "Yeah, and?" Tom looks up. "There could be landmines. We need a scout to lead us across that field. I say we take Mitch." James raises his eyebrows. "What? Tom, that's madness!" Tom shakes his head. "Wouldn't it be a shame if he stepped on a landmine or got caught by a stray bullet?" James shakes his head, but smirks a bit. "I'm going to pretend I didn't hear that." Tom laughs. "Yeah, right. Anyway, we've kept him cooped up for a while. Let's see if he tries to run." James shakes his head. "It's your call. Good luck out there." Tom nods walks back into Storm Crew headquarters. As he walks in, he yells out to the team "Mike has been reassigned, so we're changing some things around. Jacob, you're no longer going to scout. That will be Mitch's job." Chris lets out a loud "WHAT?" Tom looks over at Chris, then at Mitch, who has a shit-eating grin. "Oh, I'm sure Mitch wouldn't run out on us...would you?" Mitch just glares at Tom with that shit-eating grin and says nothing. Tom gets in Mitch's face and whispers. "If you want to run, go for it. You're worthless to them without me around. Let's just...hope...you don't catch any friendly fire out there before you do bail out." Mitch's smile disappears as Tom walks away. Tom finishes loading his bag and looks out at the rest of the team, who appears ready to go. "Alright, it's showtime. Let's roll." Tom walks out and the rest of the team follows.

_**Somewhere over the Atlantic Ocean**_

Everyone is gathered around a couple of seats, where Tom and Chris are sitting. Tom's looking at the building schematics. "I hate to say it, but this mission might play out similar to the Cordoba mission a few months ago." Chris says "Well, this time we're going to succeed!" Eddie nods. "Yeah we are! There's less of them this time." Tom looks at Eddie. "There's also less of us. Mike is out and Mitch isn't getting a gun." Mitch looks surprised. "What? Then why the hell did I come on this mission?" Tom glares at Mitch. "You'd rather be back at Dark Cover making coffee?" Mitch shakes his head. "Well, no, but…." Chris stands up. "But what, rat? Spit it out!" Mitch just walks away angrily. Chris shakes his head. "Tom, this was not a good idea to bring him with us." Tom looks at Chris. "He's insurance." Chris shrugs. "Insurance for what?" Tom smirks. "He'll be nothing more than a shield out there. He'll lead the way across the field, in case they planted landmines. He'll kick open the doors in case there's an army standing behind. After that, well, to be honest, I don't care what he does." Charlie asks "Why? He's got the investigation going." Tom shakes his head. "Guys, I'm tired of seeing him. I want him gone. If he were to die in this mission or if he ran away, I wouldn't care." Eddie says "You'd actually WANT him to run to the Covenant?" Tom nods. "Yeah, because what value is he to them if he's not within earshot of me? Think about it." Chris shakes his head. "We really should have killed him in Cordoba when we had the chance." Tom smirks. "Well, I was overruled on that. But, after tomorrow, hopefully he's dealt with." Jacob asks "So, what's the plan once we get inside?" Tom looks at other mission notes. "Well, according to this, we should still see a force of between 50 and 60. I say we do the same thing as the Cordoba mission. Put up interference while another team goes up to get the doctor." David says "We don't know where everyone's going to be until we get there, though." Tom nods. "You're right. We'll play it by ear, then. But Plan A is to execute the same thing we did in Cordoba. My team will go up for the doctor this time." The rest of the team nods. Tom closes up the file. "Alright guys, get some rest. Tomorrow's going to be a hell of a day."

**June 6, 2003**

_**Torino, Italy- Just outside of town**_

The sun rises in the east as we see a humvee and a van pull up to the side of a road. We see the Storm Crew team pour out. Everyone suits up with a vest and earpiece as well as their guns of choice, except for Mitch, who doesn't get a gun. After everyone suits up, Tom yells out "Alright, let's gather around!" The team, much like in Spain a few months earlier, circles around Tom. "Gentlemen, you all were in Spain a few months ago, when we literally walked into the mouth of hell, only to come away empty handed. Well this time, your efforts will not be in vain." Tom points behind him to a lone building that backs up to a mountain. "Well, today, we put the pedal to the metal and put an end to Project Alloy ONCE AND FOR ALL!" The team roars its approval. Tom holds his hand up and the rest of the team follows. "As always, it's my pleasure to lead you into battle once again. May there be many more." The rest of the team nods, with the exception of Mitch. Tom nods as well, rears back, and yells "STRENGTH AND HONOR!" The rest of the team takes their cue and yells out "STRENGTH AND HONOR!" After everyone calms down, David says "You should be able to just kick in the door this time. I'll be in your ears to let you know what's coming where." Tom reaches over and pats David on the shoulder, then turns away to join the rest of his team. "Alright guys, follow Mitch across the field." Mitch looks at him suspiciously. "Why me?" Tom smirks. "There might be landmines and we want to make sure we don't get blown up on the way in." Mitch rolls his eyes as Tom turns to the rest of the team. "Everyone, follow behind in single-file formation. Mitch, start walking." Mitch turns and starts walking across the field and the team follows.

_**Parts unknown**_

Elena gets a phone call. "Avian?" Avian, from inside a building, says "They're coming. Right through the front." Elena smiles. "Good. Is everything in place?" Avian looks down at a cloned body of Mitch. "Yes. I'll let you know if they take the bait. Mitch is also with them." Elena hangs up the phone and walks over to a window and looks out. "This is going to be a good day."

_**Torino, Italy- Covenant facility**_

The team reaches the front doors, which look like they've been there since the place was built about a century ago. Tom looks back at Mitch. "Mitch, kick down this door." Mitch cocks his head. "What? Why me?" Tom smiles. "Just do it." Mitch nods his head. "So, if there's a couple guys waiting for me on the other side, they'll be ready to send me to hell." Tom points a gun at Mitch. "If I wanted to kill you, I'd do it right now without the games. I'm not like you. Now, kick down the door." Mitch holds up his hands. "Ok! Ok!" Tom lowers his gun as Mitch gives the doors a front kick. They fly open. Much to Mitch's relief, there's no one on the other side. Through their earpieces, David says "Uh, guys? Either the infrared satellite is broken or..." Tom puts his finger to his earpiece. "Or what?" David says "Or there's not very many people here. Maybe 25 max. I read one lone signature on the third floor...and the rest are concentrated on floor two, off to the back. No one on floor one, four, or five that I can see." Tom smiles. "Well, looks like this might just be an easy mission after all." Tom looks out as his team. "Alright, just like Spain, you guys fight off the forces in the second floor. I'll go upstairs myself to get the doctor." The rest of the team nods. Tom says "Ok, go on up." The rest of the team rushes in and makes for the left stairwell, which leads to the second floor. Tom follows behind them up the stairs. As they trot up the stairs, David says "They're all concentrated down the hallway to the left when you get up there. Focus on the far rooms." When the team reaches the second floor, Tom keeps going up the stairs to the third.

Chris, taking lead on the second floor, says "Tread carefully, guys. Be prepared for anything." The team creeps down the hallway, ignoring the first two rooms. Mitch, hanging back, notices the door cracked open on the first room to the right. As the team creeps forward, Mitch quickly scurries to that room. Mitch enters and closes the door gently and sees Avian. Mitch looks down and gets a look of shock as he sees a copy of his body lying next to Avian. The body is fully dressed in the clothes that looks like what Mitch is wearing and has a bullet in the neck. Avian says "Hello, Mitch. Ready to go?" Mitch, a little freaked out at the body, says "Uh...yeah..." From outside the door, we hear Eddie say "Yo, where's Mitch?" Avian fires a gun at the ceiling and points over to the door to his right. "Quick, follow me!" Mitch follows Avian through the door. As that door closes, we see Eddie and Charlie walk in to see cloned Mitch lying on the floor, apparently dead. Eddie turns away for a bit, then gets on his coms. "Guys, Mitch is dead. He took a bullet to the neck." Before anyone can respond, we start to hear gunfire. Chris, through the earpiece, says "Get out here! It's an ambush!" Eddie and Charlie run out to join the gunfight.

In the adjacent room, Avian calls Elena on his phone. "Ok, Mitch is with me, they took the bait. Mitch says Tom went upstairs by himself." Elena, now very happy, says "Alright, get out of there." Elena then gets on the phone again. We see a man in a very large room answer. In a thick Russian accent, he says "Is this a go?" Elena says "Yes. Is it set?" The man says "Yes. It's been my pleasure to serve you." Elena smiles. "You've been a good clone." Elena hangs up as we see the man wrap a white cloth around his mouth.

On the third floor, we see Tom perched behind a door. He gets on his coms. "David, is there still a heat signature on the other side of this door?" David says "Yes, he's stationary in the middle of the room." Tom nods as he flings the door open to find a VERY large room with nothing except stone pillars about three stories tall and a man sitting in a chair with his hands behind the chair and his mouth covered with a white cloth. Tom gets back on his coms. "Uh, David? This place was supposed to have five floors, right?" David grabs a blueprint. "Yeah, why?" Toms says "Something about this stinks. The room I just walked into has to be at least three stories tall...and I don't think there's any floors above this." David scrambles for a bit, looking at his computer systems. "Uh, I don't know what to say...is there anyone else in there?" Tom looks at the doctor. "No, just Doctor Kozlov. He's sitting right out here in the middle...I don't like this." Tom starts to walk away, then shakes his head. "Wait, I'm overthinking this." Tom looks out across the room for traps. He doesn't see any. Tom smiles. "Well, I guess some missions were just meant to be easy, I guess." Tom sets his gun down and starts running across the room.

We see Avian and Mitch running out towards of the back of the building. Mitch slips on the marble floor. Avian keeps running ahead of him, then stops when he realizes Mitch isn't with him. He looks back and sees Mitch getting to his feet.

Back on the third floor, Tom notices the doctor looking panicked as Tom gets closer. Tom grins and says "You're coming with...WHOA!" Tom is cut off when he trips over a clear line of wire that he did not see earlier. As he hits the ground, he hears a loud** "BEEP!"** and thenfeels the ground underneath him rumble violently. And then...

**BOOM!**

Tom hears the explosion off to his right. As he looks over that way, he hears another **BOOM! **Another explosion goes off ahead of him, taking the cloned doctor with him. Tom hears the screams of his teammates in his earpiece...followed by static. Still on the ground, Tom starts to crawl forward a bit, but looks up and starts to see the roof start to fall. Tom, seeing there's little he can do now, puts his left hand behind his head. Tom closes his eyes...then opens them really quickly and screams in piercing pain as a large section of a stone pillar from the right side comes crashing down on his back and right arm. The rest of the roof debris appears to fall around him.

From the outside, David jumps out of the van to see the explosion, which has completely sliced the building in half from the back diagonally from the left corner to the front right corner. We hear him trying his earpiece. "TOM! CHRIS! ANYONE?" When he hears nothing, we start to see tears well up a bit before he wipes them away and gets into the van and drives off.

Meanwhile, from the back of the building, we see Avian patting down Mitch, trying to put out a fire. When the fire is out, we see Mitch's singed face for a bit before he gets up and runs off with Avian.

After the dust settles a bit, we see Tom pinned under the pillar. Despite being in great pain, he tries to move with his left hand from underneath, but to no avail. Tom coughs up a bit of blood and looks up to the sky. He mutters "What...have I...done?" Tom then passes out from the pain to end the episode.

**NEXT EPISODE: MADE OF METTLE  
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	13. Chapter 10: Made of Mettle

**MADE OF METTLE**

**Dayperiod of episode: Starts immediately after Torino mission**

_**Torino, Italy**_

We go back to the fallen body of Tom Falk, still unconscious and still lying under a large stone pillar. This time, we see he's joined by Avian and a couple others. Avian reaches down and touches Tom's neck, looking for a pulse. He smiles. "He's alive. Get this pillar off of him." We see three men get to one side of the pillar and lift up enough for someone else to drag Tom's body out from under the pillar. We see the men walk over and toss the pillar down from the edge of the floor. The pillar crashes in the other rubble two stories below where the explosions blew half of the building up. Avian gets on the phone. "Elena, he's alive, but a pillar fell on him and shattered his back and right arm." On the other end of the line, Elena stands from her desk and asks "Good, just as I planned. Do you think he can make the trip?" Avian nods. "We'll put in a medical coma before we put him on the plane. He'll make it." Elena breathes a sigh of relief. "We finally have him. Good work." Elena sits down in her desk and looks at a picture of Tom and Nadia from the Argentina mission. The picture shows Tom and Nadia smiling at each other as the beach provides a backdrop (_Note: If you read Project Nadia, this is the picture Tom finds at the end of Season 4, Episode 17 in the file Elena was keeping of him.). _Elena smiles as she looks at the picture. "You two will be together. I promise."

Meanwhile, we catch up to David Marston, who escaped the mission alive. He's sitting in his parked van somewhere in the city. He calls James. On the other end, James Lennox picks up from the CIA Dark Cover headquarters. "Who is this?" David says "It's David." James says "What happened? I heard reports of a huge explosion just outside of Torino." David starts to cry. "They're dead. They're all dead." James drops his jaw a bit. "What happened?" David, fighting off the tears, says "Tom was on the third floor, he radioed back to me that he found the doctor...and then the explosion...and then all I heard was a bunch of static. I...tried to get someone...ANYONE...to respond, but no one was there, so I got out of there." James, now looking crestfallen, puts his head in his hand. "So, Tom was on the third floor, where was the rest of the team?" David says "They would have been in the part of the building that exploded on the second floor. They were creating a diversion so Tom could get the doctor, just like they tried in Spain. Mitch was already dead." James pounds his fist to the desk. "How?" David says "I heard through the coms that he was shot in the neck. I don't know how." James shakes his head. "That son of a bitch….head to the airport, David. I'll get a plane for you. Come back home. We'll send a damage assessment team to pull the bodies." David starts to cry again. "If only I could have done something..." James gets a somber look on his face. "From the sounds of it, there was nothing you could do." David just keeps crying, then he wipes his tears. "Ok, I'll be at the airport in 30 minutes." James, looking somber, says "Ok. I'll see you when you get back." James walks out of his office and into Vandenburg's office. Vandenburg sees James long face. "James, what happened?" James, with his hands on his hips, says "We lost our tactical team today." Vandenburg's jaw drops a bit. "Oh my goodness, what happened?" James says "The Torino mission was a failure. The place blew up with them in it. We suspect all eight are dead. David was escaped and is coming home." Vandenburg nods his head, but still looks somber. "I'll inform their families. I have a feeling this is going to be a long day."

**Play theme**: youtube dot com /watch?v=22Vz-ngNomA

_**Parts Unknown**_

We start off with a black screen, followed by what looks to be eyes slowly cracking open from a first-person vantage point. We see two blurry figures. One says "The drug must be wearing off, get him some more!" The eyes eventually close again.

A little while later, those eyes open again to see two somewhat different looking figures. It's hard to tell what they look like, since it's still blurry. We hear a man in a thick Russian accent. "We're 24 hours in to the process. Tom's still doing fine." The other person appears to look over at Tom. We hear a woman say "Oh no, he's coming to again." We see the woman run towards Tom and, after a few seconds, the eyes close again.

The eyes fly open again and we see the eyes look down to his body. He sees his insides and his skin opened up like a book. We hear a loud scream before two people surrounding his body appear to force his head back. We see a mask go on over his head as he fades to black. Someone says "Good, he passed out from the pain..."

Time passes, and we see the blurry eyes open again. We hear the Russian man on the phone. "It is done. Now, the recovery process begins. Let's make sure he's alive, Elena." The man looks over at Tom and sees his eyes cracked open. He makes a hand motion to someone off screen. We see a blurry image of a person walking over and, once again, we fade to black.

Now, we get a full look at Tom lying on a hospital bed. He's in a small, plain concrete room with a window to his front right side and a door to his front left. He's got various tubes hooked up to him and we see and hear the heart monitor going. We also, for the first time, get a look at a very fresh looking scar running down Tom's right arm. As we focus on the arm, we see it twitch a little bit. We pan back out to see Tom's eyes now open. He looks around and sees the tubes and heart monitor next to him. He looks around and takes in his surroundings. He winces as he feels his arm throb. Then his left shoulder. Soon, he's groaning as he's now feeling what seems to be his whole body in pain. Soon, we Doctor Kozlov walk through the door to Tom's left. The man, who is older, short, and has a thin chinstrap black beard to go along with balding black hair, smiles at Tom, who's now trying to hide his pain. In his thick Russian accent, he says "Good morning, Tom." Tom glares at Kozlov. "Where the hell am I? Where's the rest of my team?" Kozlov shakes his head as he sits down next to Tom. "I don't know about your 'team'. But, I can tell you that you are in a medical facility and that I've been taking care of you." Tom tries to pop up, but all he can muster is a yelp in pain as he sinks back into the bed. Kozlov says "Be careful. You've undergone major surgery to repair your body." Tom looks over at Kozlov with a confused look. "What day is it?" Kozlov laughs. "In your country, today would be Independence Day." Tom looks away. "I've been here a month?" Kozlov nods. "Not quite, but close. We needed you to recuperate. Your back and right arm were crushed by a stone pillar." Tom looks up, then looks down at his right arm and sees a long scar extending down to his hand, and continues around his finger tips before ending at the base of his thumb. Tom then pulls up his shirt sleeve to see the scar continue. Tom gives Kozlov a look. "What the hell did you do to me?" Kozlov looks down at his file. "Well, if you must know, you're the first official successful patient of Project Alloy." Tom's eyes widen and his jaw drops. "WHAT? Oh no you didn't!" Kozlov smiles. "As a matter of fact, we did. The bones in your upper body between your neck and above your hips, minus your left arm, are now titanium alloy." Tom, still stunned, holds up his right hand and looks at it. "I'm now a freaking mutant." Kozlov shakes his head. "No. You're a survivor. You have just proven that men can be made not only to heal from catastrophic injury, but become better off for it." Tom lowers his right arm and flashes Kozlov a look. "Better? You call this BETTER?" Kozlov sighs. "Well, it may not seem like it now, but when you come to work for us, you'll be our first unbreakable soldier." Tom now looks angry. "I'll never work for the Covenant, you freak!" Kozlov pats Tom on the leg, but Tom brushes his leg away. Kozlov smiles. "Good, your legs work. We had to replace your spinal column...good to see we got your nerves reattached properly." Tom smirks. "I'm going to make you a promise. When I get up from this bed, I'm going to kill you, or make you just wish you were dead." Kozlov shakes his head. "Your legs may work, but good luck trying to walk. In our past test subjects, anytime we had to go into the spine, legs got wobbly, and they had to relearn how to walk all over again. This neurological hurdle can be overcome, but it won't be easy. In the meantime, you can just stay in that bed. Someone will be along shortly to explain how you'll be working for the Covenant." Tom shakes his head. "I'll die before I join the Covenant." Kozlov smiles. "We'll see. We have all the time in the world." Kozlov then walks out, leaving Tom to stew in his anger.

A few hours later, we see Tom just lying there in bed when Avian and a nurse walk in. We see the nurse start to unhook some of the tubes that are connected to Tom as Avian sits down next to him. Tom looks at Avian and smirks. "Nice glasses. Why did you have to go and kill Harry Carry for them?" Avian looks unamused. "I don't know who that man is and I don't care. All I care about is getting you to join us." Tom thinks for a bit, then spits in Avian's face. Avian just casually wipes the spit away. "You are no longer Tom Falk. You are Glen Morris. You are a Covenant agent." Tom laughs. "Glen Morris? What, Bob Barker wasn't available?" Avian looks at Tom blankly. "Once again, you bring up names of people I do not know." Tom cocks his head and looks at Avian increduously. "You don't get out much, do you?" Avian stands up. "I'll be back." Tom gives him a trademark mocking salute. "Ok, Ahnuld." Avian walks out of the room. After he leaves, Tom exhales. He had been hiding the pain that he was still enduring after the surgery. We see Tom grab his hips and his shoulder. Then, he grabs his neck. Those are the three points where his real bones were fused with the metal skeleton that now is in much of his body. Tom eventually just relaxes and shakes his head. To no one in particular, he asks "Why me?"

Later, we see Tom look out the window. It's now night...wherever he is. In his mind, he starts to think about the fate of the rest of his team. He goes back to when he tripped over the wire...the explosions that happened as a result...the static that was in his earpiece. Tom shakes his head and mutters to no one in particular "I really hope you guys got out of there." His thoughts are cut off by Avian and Doctor Kozlov walking in. We see Kozlov inject something into Tom's IV tube. Tom asks "What the hell is that?" Kozlov says "It's a neurotoxin. You'll go limp any second now." Tom leans back...but doesn't feel anything. More seconds pass and he still feels nothing. Kozlov says "Ok, you should be nice and limp now." Tom doesn't feel limp, but remains stiff as a board anyway, playing along. Avian says "Ok, we're going to wheel you down the hallway, Glen. We'll have to disconnect your tubes, so you might be in a bit of pain here in a bit." Tom doesn't move, still playing along even though the neurotoxin has apparently had no effect on him.

We see Tom's bed rise up and Tom is subjected to home videos of his 'family' growing up. Avian says "Your father was Richard Morris, a former FBI official. Your mother was Ruth, she was a housewife. You had a brother, Paul, and a sister, Megan." Tom just looks at the videos blankly. Avian turns to Tom when the videos are done. "Your name is Glen Morris. You are a Covenant agent." Tom looks over at Avian with his eyes. "That's funny. When I woke back up this morning, I seem to recall my name being Tom Falk. My mother was Mary, and my dad was a drunk who just so happened to be named Tom as well. I had a brother that died in 9/11 and I'm pretty sure I alienated my sister after I wouldn't pay for my dad's burial a month ago." Avian just looks at Tom blankly, as usual. "Since you're not going to cooperate, and since Kozlov tells me you're not at risk of death anymore, you're not going to get any more painkillers. However, in order for your bones to settle, we'll still give you a bed until Kozlov deems it unnecessary." Tom's eyes now face forward, away from Avian. "Two hots and a cot. Better than some get." Avian shakes his head. "Don't count on those 'hots' being particularly tasty until you start cooperating." Tom, still acting limp, says "As I said, better than some." Avian motions for a Covenant grunt to wheel Tom back to his room.

Tom is wheeled back to his previous spot. We see Avian and Kozlov walk out. Before he steps out, Kozlov says "We'll be checking on you in the morning." Tom, still playing limp, just kinda grunts. Kozlov closes the door and locks it. Tom relaxes and moves his arms and legs around. "Well, Kozlov must not have wired something together right, because I can still move. Speaking of moving..." Tom swings his legs around to the edge of the bed. Tom sits up for the first time, but finds it a struggle. "Man, I feel like I put on about 20 pounds this past month...oh wait, I guess I did." Tom looks down at his feet. "Wiggle your big toe." Tom wiggles his big toe on his right foot and then his left. Tom smirks. "Well, this might not be so hard after all." Tom sets his feet on the concrete floor and stands up. We see his knees wobble a bit as he spreads his feet a bit. "Ok, a one, a two, a one two three four..." Tom puts his right foot forward, then his left. We see Tom wobbling a bit. He tries a third step, but falls down in a heap. Tom grimaces a bit as he gets on his knees. "This could be a problem." Tom gets to his feet and starts walking again. "Ok, step one...step two...step three….." Tom falls in yet another heap as he tries for step four. Tom crawls over to the wall nearby and grabs the window ledge so he can get up. He looks out the window, but doesn't see much of anything. He sighs a bit as he looks up at the stars. "Chris, Eddie, everyone….if you're up there, please forgive me." Tom closes his eyes as they start to tear up.

**July 5****th****, 2003**

We see Tom asleep in his bed. He's startled awake by Avian opening the door. He appears to be holding some a plate of bacon and eggs. He walks up and sits the plate next to Tom. Tom looks at the plate, then at Avian. "Breakfast in bed?" Avian cracks a small smile. "Only if you are willing to cooperate." Tom leans up, looks at the eggs, then lies back down. "I've always preferred scrambled eggs personally." Avian picks up the plate, reaches into his pocket, and drops a piece of rather uninspiring bread on the table. "Until you do, that's what's for breakfast." Tom rolls his eyes. "Can't wait for lunch and dinner." Avian walks out of the room as Tom grabs the bread and sniffs it a bit. Tom then grabs his left shoulder, which appears to be really bothering him today. "Dammit, I'm not THAT attached to my left arm, why not just make that metal too?" Tom nibbles the bread and doesn't find it completely unsatisfying.

A little later in the day, Tom is sitting back, just trying to cope with the pain, which is now starting to build without the aid of painkillers. Doctor Kozlov and Avian walk back into the room. Kozlov asks Tom "How are we feeling today?" Tom, hiding the pain, gives a thumbs up. "Like the TV commercial, I'm Mentos fresh and full of life!" Kozlov gives Avian a bit of a look. We see Avian inject neurotoxin directly into Tom's left arm this time. Once again, it has no effect on Tom, but he plays along anyway.

Like last night, Tom is wheeled in to another room. As he's being wheeled, he's seen eyeing everything around him, making mental notes about his surroundings. He sees other rooms with metal doors like his. Down the hallway, he sees a door that appears to require some sort of security key to get through. Tom is shown the same video as last night and is given another speech from Avian. After Tom rebuffs him again, he's wheeled back down the hallway. This time, now that he's going down the other direction, he sees the hallway end with a window. Tom looks left and counts three doors to his left. He looks right and sees three more doors, including his door at the end to the right that is still open. They have to stop pushing Tom in for a second as they swing him around. Tom looks out the window at the end of the hallway and sees a privacy wall with a line of barbed wire. A street is just outside the wall, as well as a vacant warehouse across the street. Tom is then wheeled back into the room.

Tom is wheeled back to his spot and Kozlov and Avian leave the room. This time, for lunch, they've left him a bowl of some soup that both looks and smells unpleasant. Tom leans over and sniffs the soup, looks repulsed, and just pushes the soup away. We see him mutter to himself "They came in yesterday about this time...they came in after the sun went down...and they came in this morning when the sun was starting to shine. Let's see if a pattern emerges." Tom swings his feet around and starts his walking routine again. He's able to get to four wobbly steps this time before dropping in a heap. Tom groans a bit as he tries to stand back up. "What was that movie...What About Bob?...baby steps, Tom...baby steps to the window." Tom gets up and starts walking towards the window. Before he falls, he puts his hands up and props him up against a wall. Last night, he couldn't see much when he looked out the window. This time, he looks out and sees he's at least at the second or third floor. Tom looks down and finds a long dropoff, with no bushes or anything to break his fall. "That window outside the door looks like it's at least in jumping distance." Tom looks down at his feet. "Well, maybe not jumping distance for ME yet. Soon, though." Tom starts walking back. With each step, he counts out "One...two...three...FOUR...FIVE...SI..." Tom collapses again about two or three steps from his bed. "Rome wasn't built in a day, Tom. You'll get there." Tom picks himself up and throws himself back into bed.

Later that day, we see Tom looking out the window as the last bits of light poke through. "It's almost time for movie night again." After that last word, we see Tom start to recollect a moment in his childhood. Back in little Bunker, Missouri, we see little Tom and Eddie run in. Eddie's holding a video tape. Ed, sitting in his usual favorite chair, asks "What do you have there?" Eddie says "Back to the Future!" Ed says "Ok! Give me the tape!" We see Eddie hand the tape to Ed and sit down with Tom on the couch. A younger Karen, who is now a full blown teenager, says "Back to the Future? Ugh, I've already seen it. I'm going out with my friends." Karen walks past Violet to go out the door. Violet just shakes her head. "I was just like that at her age." In the living room, she sits down with Ed, Eddie, and Tom and starts watching the movie. Back in his captivity, Tom has a smile on his face as he hears the door open. As usual, it's Avian and Doctor Kozlov. "Well, if it isn't Beavis and Butthead again." They ignore his comments as he gets stuck with the neurotoxin again...and is wheeled to watch the movie and is subjected to Avian's brainwashing techniques again...and is wheeled back to his room...again. Once again, Tom keeps the fact that the neurotoxin doesn't work on him a secret. After Kozlov and Avian leave, we see Tom once again start his walking technique. This time, he's able to walk to the window without falling. Tom grins. "It's all coming back to me now!" Tom then staggers back to his bed without falling, but still a little wobbly. "By the morning, I'll be able to walk around this room."

**July 6****th****, 2003**

Once again, at the usual time, Avian and Kozlov come into Tom's room. This time, Tom is awake to greet them. "Hola! Como esta, amigos?" ("Hello! How are you, friends?" in Spanish) This time, Avian stops walking for a bit. He thinks for a bit, thinking that maybe Tom found out where they were. Eventually, he just shakes his head and walks over to Tom. He pulls out the neurotoxin and injects Tom once again. After another brainstorming session, Tom is wheeled back to his room. After Avian and Kozlov leave, Tom overhears them start to chatter outside the door. Tom hops out of bed and, using the wall as a brace, gets close to hear their conversation. We hear Avian say "Elena wants me to take care of something. I should be back by mid-day tomorrow." Kozlov says "Very good." Tom grins and hops back in bed. "This time tomorrow morning, I'm going home."

We see Tom get wheeled out and in two times for brainstorming sessions, although they're delivered by Kozlov this time.

Later that night, well after dark, we see Tom looking out the window. He looks at some of the empty warehouses that dot the landscape. "I have no freaking idea where I'm at." Tom feels the window and notes it's almost hot. "Must be somewhere warm." We see Tom walk back to bed, still a little wobbly, but improving. Tom sits on the edge of the bed and starts thinking back to his time at the Anti-Cartel. For the first time since the very first episode, we see Eduardo Munoz, the man that recruited Tom into the CIA. We see Munoz addressing Tom, Mitch, and a couple others. "Remember guys, and this is the most important thing about being an agent...if you're ever caught out there in the field, and you're being held against your will...don't ever...EVER...let them break your mind..." Munoz points to his head. "...or your spirit." Munoz then points to his heart. We see a younger Tom nodding in approval. Back in his captivity, we see Tom smiling. "Thanks for that advice, Eduardo. I think that advice has saved my life here." Tom then gets back up and walks over to the wall that he stares at every day from his bed. He stands on the other side of the door with his back flat to the wall. Tom nods his head. "Yeah, this will work." Tom then walks back to his bed and goes to sleep.

**July 7****th****, 2003**

Tom is awakened by the first light coming through the window. Tom mumbles "Oh crap..." He springs out of bed, wearing his usual white shirt and white fabric shorts, and goes to the spot he went to on the other side of the door. He pins himself to the door and waits patiently. Soon, he hears footsteps coming towards the door. Tom smiles. "Come here, fishy, fishy, fishy." Soon, the door swings open and we hear Kozlov ask "How are we feeling today?" We see Kozlov look at the bed and see Tom is not there. "What the..." Then, like a cat, Tom springs out from behind the door and grab Kozlov and put a hand over his mouth. Tom whispers in Kozlov's ear "Guess who?" Kozlov is trying to scream, but to no avail. Tom reaches into Kozlov's coat pocket and pulls out a syringe of neurotoxin. Tom then jams it and injects it into Kozlov's heart. Almost instantly, Kozlov goes limp and he lacks the energy to speak loudly now. Tom then lightly closes the door, leaving it cracked open slightly. Then, he gets down into Kozlov's face. "Why was I chosen for this project?" Kozlov, his face frozen, just starts laughing lightly. Tom, seeing as he's not going to get any answers, balls up his right fist. "Well, I guess the world will never know the story of Doctor Sergei Kozlov." Tom then punches Kozlov's face. We hear the sound of bones breaking in Kozlov's face. Tom looks down at his fist in astonishment at his titanium-powered fist. "Wow...my fist is a deadly weapon!" Tom then proceeds to punch Kozlov a few more times, until his face is basically a pile of broken bones, blood, and mush. We hear Kozlov still muttering. Tom smirks. "One more punch and you're dead. But, just like you did to me, I'm just going leave you here so you only WISH you were dead. Sweet dreams." Tom then stands up and walks over to grab a metal chair. His walking still isn't the smoothest, but is much improved from a few days ago. Tom then opens the metal door and looks out the hallway to see if anyone is there. He's happy to see no one is there. Tom then looks out the hallway window to see what he's dealing with. "That barbed wire is gonna cut me to bits..." Tom then walks back into his room and looks at his bed. "Yes!" Tom then rips off the sheets and folds them into a double layer. He then walks back out into the hallway, sets the sheets down and grabs the chair. He starts swinging the chair at the window and is happy to find that the window isn't double paned as it breaks easily. He breaks himself a wide opening and throws the chair down. Tom then grabs the sheets and stands in the window. With two hands, Tom holds the sheets at the sides and out in front of him. "Ok, here goes nothing!" Tom jumps out the window belly-first. The sheets drape over the part of the barbed wire that Tom bounces off of. He lets out an "OOF!" before bounding down to the outside sidewalk. Tom lets out a scream in pain from the landing and grabs his hip. "AAAH! That did not feel good!" Tom then gets on his feet and looks to the left. He sees an endless line of empty buildings. Tom looks right and sees a car starting to approach at the three-way intersection. Tom then tries to run, but that proves futile as he takes a faceplant on the ground. Tom holds his face, which now has some scrapes from the fall, and says "That was not smart, Tom." Thankfully for him, the person in the car is a good Samaritan and sees Tom's plight with running. The man pulls up right in front of Tom and rolls down his window. "Esta bien?" ("Are you alright?" in Spanish) Tom, getting to his feet and noticing the man's accent, asks "Eres mexicano?" ("You're Mexican?") The man nods. "Si. Esta es la ciudad de Mexico." ("Yes. This is Mexico City.") Tom nods, then flings the man's driver side door open and yanks the man out of the car. After the man lands on the ground, he screams "Que estas haciendo?" ("What are you doing?") Tom says "Lo siento, pero necesito este coche y su teléfono celular!" ("Sorry, but I need this car and your cell phone!") Tom reaches into the man's front pocket and takes his cell phone. He then gets in the car and peels off.

In the car, we see Tom driving around. He opens the man's cell phone and punches in a number. Meanwhile, at CIA Dark Cover, we see James Lennox walking around the lobby. We also see Mike and David are now out among the general Dark Cover population now. James walks up to an empty desk and answers the phone. "Hello?" Tom, breathing heavy, says "James! It's Tom!" James literally jumps in shock. "Tom Falk? You're alive?" Now he has the attention of the entire CIA Dark Cover, including Mike and David, who stare at James with a look of shock. Tom, still driving in Mexico City, says "Yes! I'm in Mexico City, but I have no idea where! The Covenant captured me in Torino!" Mike runs over next to James, trying to listen in on the conversation. David does too. James says "Are you alright?" Tom says "Not really! I'm alive...and I'm going to live, but...I'll talk about it later! I just escaped and I need to know where I am! Get David to track this number!" James holds the mouthpiece closed as he looks at the caller ID on the phone receiver. "David, track that number! Go!" David runs back over to his desk, which is now next to Lisa's. James gets back on the line with Tom. "David is tracking your phone now. How did you get it?" Tom thinks for a bit as he turns a corner. "I'm not really proud of what I did to get this phone and car but I have no ID, no money, nothing! No one died, though, and I'll make sure this car and phone gets back to it's rightful owner after all of this, ok?" James says "Of course, of course." David, from his desk, says "I got it!" James looks over at a GPS map of Mexico City. We see a blip on the screen that is tracking the cell phone signal. Meanwhile, Mike runs back to his desk and pulls out a binder. Mike yells at James "Have him stop, I need to find him a safehouse!" James says "Could you stop at the next intersection? We're going to find you a safehouse." Tom stops abruptly at a stop sign. He casually waves at a homeless woman pushing a cart across the street. Mike looks at Tom's position, then points something out in the binder. "Ok, he's only two blocks away from a Mexican intelligence safehouse. I know our contact there, he'll make sure he's granted access to it." James gets back on the phone. "Tom?" Tom says "Yeah, what?" James says "There's a safehouse two blocks down the street to your left. But, you're going to have to wait a bit until we can secure the place for you. Can you hide anywhere?" Tom looks around and spots an empty warehouse with an opening for a car. "Yeah, I do. Let me know when the place is ready. And James?" James says "Yeah?" Tom, now looking remorseful, says "I'm sorry about Torino…..I'm SO sorry about Torino. I screwed that up royally. It's all my fault." James hangs his head. "We'll talk about it when I fly down there." Tom says "Ok. Give me a call when it's ready." James says "Will do. I'm glad you're alive." Tom says "Thanks" and hangs up the phone. Back at Dark Cover, we see Vandenburg has walked out of his office. "What's all the commotion about?" James looks up. "Tom Falk is alive! He's in Mexico City!" Vandenburg puts his hand to his chest. "Oh, thank heavens!" Mike gets up from his desk and jogs over to the previous entrance of Storm Crew headquarters, which we see is now a mess hall. On the left door, we see pictures of Tom, Eddie, Jerome, and Luke. On the other door, we see the pictures of Chris, Charlie, and Jacob. Mitch is noticeably absent. Mike, with tears welling up in his eyes, takes down Tom's picture and looks at it. "Welcome back, my friend." David walks up to Mike and pats him on the back as he looks at the picture too. David says "I knew when they didn't find his body that there had to be hope." David starts to cry himself. "I knew he'd come back, I just knew it." Mike turns to David and gives him a hug to end the scene.

Back in Mexico City, we see Tom is still in his stolen car, parked inside an abandoned warehouse. He's breathing really heavy, due to the pain that he still feels from his Project Alloy experience. Tom closes his eyes and recalls his conversation with Kate before he left where he was told that he was going to be a father. Tom lets out a small laugh. "Oh Kate, what did they tell you after I disappeared? I hope you still love me." Tom's thought process is interrupted by a call on his cell phone. He picks up. "Hello?" James is on the other line. "Ok, go to the safehouse now, it's the only house you'll see two blocks down to the left. I'm at Baltimore Washington Airport and I'll be there in a few hours." Tom says "I've had nothing to eat for the past four days except stale bread and some really shitty soup. Is there anything to eat there?" James says "The man from Mexican Intelligence will have something for you. Eat up, get some rest, I'll see you in a few hours." Tom nods his head and turns on the car again. "Thanks, James." Tom hangs up and drives out the warehouse and makes a right. He drives down the street and gets to the safehouse, where a man is waiting outside.

Tom gets out and greets the man. "I'm Tom Falk with the CIA." The man smiles and nods. "I know who you are. I'm Juan. Good to see you made it." Tom nods. "Thanks for your hospitality." Tom looks at his car. "Hey, make sure the car and cell phone gets back to its rightful owner. I had to borrow it when I escaped from the Covenant facility. Give him my apologies." Juan nods, then turns back at Tom. "Speaking of that Covenant facility, do you know where it is?" Tom shakes his head, but points back in the other direction from where he came. "All I know it's down that way somewhere. It was on a street corner at a three-way intersection. Look for a broken window on the second floor and a bed sheet draped over some barbed wire that's on top of a privacy wall." Juan nods. "I passed a place with that description on the way here. If it's the right place, we've had our suspicions about it for a while now. I'll send a squad to infiltrate it this afternoon." Tom nods his head and smiles. "Thanks. I'd like to know what they had on me." Juan shrugs. "What would they have?" Tom says "Well, besides possibly my wallet and ID, they'd have a medical record on the procedure they performed on me there." Juan asks "What did they do to you?" Tom shakes his head. "Not here, let's go inside." Juan smiles. "Right, your quesadillas are getting cold." Tom raises his eyebrows and grins. "Quesadillas! Oh thank goodness!" Tom follows Juan inside the small house.

A little later, we see Tom sleeping on a twin-sized bed in the bedroom. He has his shirt off and, for the first time we see all of his scars. There's a scar that runs along the top of his left shoulder, down across his collarbone, back up his right shoulder. From there, it shoots down the outside of his right arm and outside the edges of his fingers. Another scar shoots off from his right shoulder and goes down his right armpit down to his hips, then back across his hips before ending at the left hip. Juan, meanwhile, is seated outside the bedroom reading a book. Tom is awoken by the sound of a door knocking. Tom starts to get up as Juan answers. "Hey James!" Tom hears James say "Hey, where's Tom?" Tom walks out of the bedroom, still shirtless. James smiles at first, but then sees his scars. "Oh my god, Tom, what did they do to you?" Tom looks down at the scars. "Oh, these? Well, a few days ago, I learned that I was the first successful patient of Project Alloy." James's jaw drops. "Good lord, so your body is now..." Tom shakes his head. "No, just everything above the hip, below the neck, and my right arm." James nods, still a bit in shock. "How are you feeling?" Tom laughs a bit. "Besides hurting all over, I feel great! I have issues with walking, and I'm not coordinated enough to run yet, but I'm alive at least." James nods his head. "Well, you can tell me everything on the plane back to Baltimore." James tosses Tom a bag of clothes. Tom looks in the bag. "These are my clothes, where did you get them?" James looks down and says "I swung by your apartment on the way here." Tom looks up. "You saw Kate." James nods his head. "Yes, I did. Needless to say, she was shocked to hear you were still alive." Tom asks "Does she know about me being in the CIA?" James nods. "I had to tell her after we presumed you were dead. She didn't take it well. And..." James stops short, leaving Tom to wonder. "And what?" James sighs. "Nothing. Anyway, get dressed and lets go." Tom walks into the bedroom to change.

_**Somewhere over Texas**_

On a private plane, James is seated across from Tom and is on the phone. He tells whoever is on the other line "I understand. Thank you." James then hangs up the phone. Tom asks "What did Juan say?" James shakes his head. "They raided the facility and found nothing except Doctor Kozlov's dead body. It was deserted." Tom sighs. "So, there's nothing about what they did to me." James shakes his head. "We'll have a doctor check you out when you get back." Tom nods his head, then smiles. "So, the doctor died, huh?" James looks like he's connected the dots. "They say his face looked like it was bashed in with a baseball bat." Tom looks down at his hand, which has some nicks and cuts from punching Kozlov's face earlier. "A baseball bat, huh? You know, my right fist could be labeled a dangerous weapon now in case I assault someone." James laughs a bit. "Maybe. Anyway, we'll talk more about that back at the interrogation room at Dark Cover. I want to make sure everything is on the record. We can run things down now, if you like." Tom nods his head. "Absolutely. But first, I need to know if the rest of my team made it out alive." James looks down. "We sent a recovery team after the mission was over. They found their bodies in the rubble except for yours and David's, who checked in after the mission and is back at Dark Cover." Tom's lip starts to quiver. He looks away as the news sinks in. James says "I'm sorry. They're dead."" Tom starts to cry as he buries his head in his hands. "Chris...Eddie...Charlie...Luke...Jerome... Jacob...oh my god, I killed them." James says "No. It was not your fault." Tom looks up teary eyed. "I was their leader! I was the one that made the call to run after what I thought was Doctor Kozlov...I WAS THE ONE THAT TRIPPED OVER THE TRIP WIRE THAT ACTIVATED THE EXPLOSIONS!" James nods, then sighs. "We found the remains of the explosive devices they used. We figured they must have had some booby trap in place, we just weren't sure what triggered it." Tom, still emotional, shakes his head. "That was no booby trap! It was a simple clear wire they had strung across, just waiting for some freaking idiot like me to overlook it. I made a stupid, childish mistake and it cost the lives of 6 of the best men I knew, and it cost me half of my skeletal system." James shakes his head. "We're not going to put the blame on you for this mission. It's already been determined." Tom wipes the tears from his eyes. "How?" James sighs. "On the day of the mission, we got a call from Langley that Mitch's wife and son had come to them with information they received from an anonymous courier. That information confirmed that Mitch was indeed talking to the Covenant." Tom sighs and sits back. "I hate to say I told you so..." James says "I believed you, but we didn't have solid proof. Cheryl provided us with images of him and top level Covenant officers together, phone transcripts, phone logs...there was a lot. Anyway, we put her and her son in witness protection just to be safe." Tom nods. "Good, they were innocent in all of this." James nods. "I know. I also learned that the informant that gave me the info on the Torino mission was also a Covenant double. When I sent Mike after him, he found him dead in a bathroom with the back of his head blown out." Tom shakes his head. "So, Torino was just another giant trap. Mitch HAD to be in on it, the timing of Cheryl getting the information couldn't have been a coincidence." James nods. "I'm the one that should be sorry for sending you out on the mission. I trusted the information and I was the one…." Tom shakes his head quickly. "No! I had a chance to abort when you told me Mike was unavailable, but my vendetta with Mitch clouded my judgment. I wanted him gone, but the only thing I ended up losing was my damn team, my upper body, and a month of my life!" James shakes his head. "If Mike were with you guys, this still would have happened. He's happy to hear you're back. David too." Tom nods, but still looks down. "I appreciate that. Still, right before I ran across the room, I had my suspicions about the whole setup and instead, I ignored them and ran across the room like a dog chasing a car." James looks down and says nothing. "Well, we've already ruled that it was a trap that was set by Mitch and the Covenant. You're absolved of any blame." Tom just stares at the floor for a while, then shakes his head. "That's fine and all, but what happened happened, and I have to live with that. The wounds remain, and they'll never go away." James thinks for a bit as Tom looks away angrily. James asks "David told me Mitch was already dead before the explosions?" Tom nods. "I heard it on the coms. Eddie and Charlie discovered him trying to sneak off in a side room. When they found his body, he was lying on the floor dead with a bullet in his neck. I was wondering if he would try to escape. I guess the Covenant didn't deem him a worthy investment anymore without him within earshot of me." James nods. "That seems to be the case." Tom looks down. "My team...my body….all of this was set in motion by Mitch a long time ago. I had an idea he was a mole for a while, but I didn't know how deep his treachery would go. Any idea what his endgame really was?" James shakes his head. "I didn't read the transcripts, so I have no idea. The CIA is in possession of all of his materials and they're sealing them from us." Tom chuckles. "I passed him up on the CIA pecking order after he got canned in the Anti-Cartel and he probably wanted my job and he saw the Covenant as the way to get it." James shrugs. "That's the first thing that popped into my head, but with no conclusive proof, we'll never know." Tom sits back and laughs. "Well, I do know that the Covenant had a serious interest in me even after I recovered four days ago." James asks "Why do you say that?" Tom says "They tried to brainwash me into being a Covenant agent." James shrugs "What were they doing?" Tom says "They were injecting me with this neurotoxin that was supposed to make me go limp as a dead fish, and then they were subjecting me to these home videos of my supposed childhood and trying to rename me 'Glen Morris'. They also withheld decent-tasting food from me until I would cooperate. But, little did they know, the neurotoxin that they injected me with had no effect on me." James sits back. "Huh. I wonder why." Tom shrugs. "Beats me, maybe the good doctor wired me wrong somewhere along the way. My left arm did feel a little tingly after the injections, but I didn't feel any different otherwise. In that time, I learned how to walk again….sort of." James nods his head. "I think I see the general picture here." James stands up and reaches out his hand. "It's good to have you back." Tom reaches and shakes James hand. "Thank you. Let me know if there's anything I can do to help my fallen friend's families." James shakes his head. "I don't think that's a good idea." Tom asks "Why?" James says "They went into witness protection for their safety. We did it after the mission failed and Cheryl gave us the information on Mitch. They were pretty upset when they heard what happened." Tom leans back and sighs. "So I can't apologize to them for killing their loved ones." James says "I'm sorry. Get some rest, I'll have you stop by the doctor first thing in the morning." Tom shakes his head. "I want to see my wife first." James sighs. "She's not your wife anymore. We presumed you were dead and the marriage was dissolved. Since you left no will and had a pre-nup in place, she didn't get anything of yours. After you died, she was sad, but she's already moved on." Tom stands up. "What do you mean?" James says "She's seeing someone already. She still lives in your apartment. She absolutely refused to go into the program, but she made agreements with us to make sure nothing is ever said to anyone about Dark Cover or your role in our division." Tom looks down. "How did she take me being in the CIA?" James shakes his head. "Not well. And she didn't take the news of you still being alive well either." Tom puts his right hand on his head, not sure what to think. "Just let me see her. And after that…." Tom starts sobbing again. "….I want to see my fallen friends." James nods his head. "Sure thing. Get some sleep." Tom nods his head, then buries his head in his hands and continues sobbing over the fate of his team.

**July 8, 2003**

_**Towson, MD- Tom's apartment**_

We see Tom standing outside of his door. He looks very nervous about knocking on the door. James, standing behind him, says "It's ok, I'm here." Tom looks back at James, then back at the door. He finally holds his arm up and knocks. Kate opens the door and sees Tom standing there, looking remorseful. Kate's lip starts to quiver, but she doesn't say anything. Tom says "Hi, Kate." Kate, still not finding the words, steps back. "Come in." Tom looks at James. "Wait outside." James nods his head. Tom turns around and walks into his apartment. Kate closes the door. Tom looks down the hallway to his front. "Is your new boyfriend here?" Kate says "No." Tom turns to Kate. "Babe, I'm so so..." Kate holds up her hand angrily. "Don't call be babe ever again." Tom hangs his head. "Kate..." Kate asks "How am I supposed to feel about seeing you here?" Tom shakes his head. "I'd hope relieved, but I see that's too much to ask." Kate says "One day, I learn my husband is dead and that he's been a deep undercover CIA agent since you whisked me away to Los Angeles 12 years ago. And yesterday, I hear you're back from the dead!" Tom looks up at Kate. "Kate, you have no idea what I've gone through this past month." Kate gets in Tom's face. "And you have no idea what I'VE gone through for the past 12 years. Our entire freaking relationship has been a lie since we left Missouri!" Tom now looks frustrated. "Ok, let's play it your way. Let's say that it was a known fact that I was a CIA agent. And let's just say one day, some homeboys from a gang that I was tracking down decide to take you hostage. They torture you, beat you, and possibly even rape you until you give them my location. Would that have made you happier?" Kate shakes her head. "No, because if I knew that's what you were up against, I'd have stayed in Bunker and worked in the diner." Tom hangs his head. "You don't mean that..." Kate jerks Tom's head up. "Oh yes I do. I'm a simple girl, with simple hopes and dreams. I'm no one's liability." Tom shakes his head. "You were never a liability to me. Ever. You've always been the love of my life, and just knowing I had you in my life kept me alive so many times. Remember 1993?" Kate nods her head. "Yeah, when you became a junkie. What about it?" Tom shakes his head slowly. "Having you in my life kept me from killing myself. Kate, I would never...EVER...want to see you get hurt. That's why I protected you..." Kate slaps Tom. "PROTECTED me? Liars don't protect anyone except themselves!" Tom turns away and walks to the kitchen. Kate says "I know this is your apartment, and I'll pack up and leave and move in with Tim, my boyfriend." Tom looks back at Kate. "What about our kid? I don't want him or her growing up in a broken home." Kate laughs. "YOUR kid?" Tom tilts his head confused. "Ok, OUR kid." Kate shakes her head. "It's Tim's." Tom's eyes bug out. "WHAT?" Kate says "I've been seeing Tim for four months now. I met him at the Charleston Restaurant. I know what he does for a living...he's a stock broker. He's even showed me where he works already. Oh, and I'm actually three months pregnant, so I lied to you before you left." Tom turns and shakes his head. "What was all this shit you were telling me about liars?" Kate shrugs. "Sucks when you're on the receiving end of a lie that just tears your stomach in half." Tom leans on the kitchen table and shakes his head. He grabs his shoulder in pain. Kate asks "An injury you picked up in the past month?" Tom looks up at Kate. "Kate, for the past month, I've been in Mexico...recovering from skeleton replacement surgery." Kate laughs. "Wow, that's fresh!" Tom lifts off his shirt to show Kate the scars. Kate's jaw drops. Tom blankly says "Yeah, they're fresh alright." Kate looks stunned. "Holy crap..." Tom says "In the mission I was on, a stone pillar fell on my back and right arm. I was captured alive, and was made a guinea pig by my captors. They replaced my bones above the hip, below the neck, and my right arm with titanium alloy." Kate nods. "So, that's why you're staggering around. I just thought you had a couple of drinks before seeing me." Tom nods. "Well, it happened. And I'm still re-learning how to walk, Kate." Kate just shakes her head. "You were always full of surprises, Tom." Kate then walks off to the bedroom. Tom walks after her and observes her grab a suitcase. "What are you doing?" Kate says "I'm leaving. I'm done with you." Tom walks up to Kate and puts his arm on her shoulder. "Kate...please...I never meant to hurt you. I don't want you to go. I love you." Kate slaps his arm away and looks up at Tom. "I can't live with a liar. I can't live with a man that I don't know." Kate then sizes up Tom and looks at him disgusted. "And I can't live with a freak." Tom steps back a few steps at that last comment. He looks down and closes his eyes, fighting back the tears. He walks out to the hallway, then stops suddenly. "I have to go. Take all the time you need. When you're done moving out your things, leave your key on the table and leave the door unlocked. I'm sorry for hurting you." Tom then turns and walks down the hallway. Kate pauses packing for a moment, looks at where Tom was standing, shakes her head, and resumes packing.

(_Music note: Start playing Staind's "Outside")_

_**Baltimore, MD- Baltimore National Cemetery**_

We see Tom get out of the back passenger's door. James gets out of the other side. Tom looks over at James. "Where are they?" James points behind Tom. "Just down this row." Tom starts walking down the row of graves. He passes a few graves until he sees the name "Jerome Thompson." Right after Jerome's is "Jacob Jackson", followed by the grave markers for Charlie, Luke, Eddie, and Chris. Tom starts to tear up as turns and sees the graves of his former team members. He thinks about the Torino mission, from the last moments they were together, and then the explosion. He drops to his knees and starts sobbing. "Guys...I'm sorry...I'm so sorry." Tom crouches over and buries his hands in his arms on the ground. "You guys were good men...great men...way better than me...you trusted me as I trusted you...and I got you all killed….it's all my fault…." We end the episode with Tom's head buried in his arms sobbing.

**END OF EPISODE**


	14. Chapter 11: Exile

**EXILE**

**Dayperiod for this episode: Picks up after the last one, then varies**

_**Edgewood, MD- CIA Dark Cover headquarters**_

The elevator door opens in Dark Cover, and we see James and Tom start to walk out. Tom looks around the office. The people in the lobby start clapping lightly, but Tom doesn't look like he's in the mood for celebration. Eventually, Tom makes it to Mike, who gives him a hug. Tom grimaces a bit during the hug. "Whoa, not so hard, Mike. I'm not well." Mike lets go. "Sorry. You don't know how relieved I am to see you again." Off to the right, we see David walk out a door and see Tom. David smiles and walks up to Tom quickly. The two shake hands, then hug. Again, Tom winces in pain. David lets go once he feels Tom buckle a bit. David, with a look of concern, says "Are you ok?" Tom looks at David with a somewhat pained look. "Well, I'm here. I'm alive. But, I'll never be the same." Tom looks over to the doors that led to Storm Crew headquarters and sees the pictures of his fallen team members on the doors. Tom looks down and starts to tear up again. Mike says "After the Torino mission, we felt it was best to fold the tactical unit." Tom looks at Mike surprised, then at James, then looks down and nods his head. "Right, I understand." James pats Tom on the back. "Don't worry, you still have a place here." Tom sighs. James says "Come on, let's finish your debrief." Tom looks back at Mike and David with a somber look, then back at James. "Is there a way they can watch? That way, they'll know everything and I won't have to say it again." James nods. "David, you can pull up a feed on your computer." David nods and walks over to his computer with Mike as Tom walks with James to the interrogation room.

_**One hour later**_

James closes up a file as we see Tom looking despondent and looking down at the table. James says "We've got everything we need. Do you have any questions for me?" Tom, still looking at the table, says "What happens to me now?" James, a bit confused, asks "What do you mean?" Tom looks up. "I still can't run without falling on my face. My tactical team was wiped out. What value am I to this place now?" James says "You're good at gathering intel. In fact, that's what got you into the CIA in the first place! We want you to stay around in a support role. You won't be cleared for field duty until we analyze your medical condition more, but you'll still work closely with Mike. He's been a real asset as a spy and a tracker. And David is still a major help in op-tech." Tom gives out the faintest of smiles, but says nothing. James continues. "I know this isn't much of a consolation, but ever since the Torino mission, we've learned that the Covenant started de-funding their Special Sciences division drastically. We did a lot of damage." Tom laughs sarcastically. "That's nice and all, but they cashed in their investment with me. And you with Project Helix." James sighs and says "Anyway, you're still an asset to us. We want you back." Tom thinks for a bit, then slowly shakes his head. "I don't want to put any more people in harms way. It was by my actions that I got 6 of my best friends killed. I'm not going to be responsible for jeopardizing more lives, even if it is only by my intel." James leans forward. "What happened was not your fault!" Tom leans forward himself. "Those were my men. Those men looked at me to lead them safely into battle, and safely out of battle. I made that promise to them when I brought them on. That's why I made camaraderie so important with our team. You want men that trust you as much as you trust them out in the field. That's why I made them more than co-workers. I made them my friends. I made a promise to them that I'd look out for them…and I broke that promise. I'm sorry, James, but I can't help you anymore." James sits back in his chair. "I tell you what. I'm going to put you on indefinite leave. The reason I'm doing that is because while on leave, you can still rehab with our doctors. Even though you say you're not coming back, at least let us help you get back on your feet physically." Tom looks down at the table a bit blankly, then back at James. "James, you've been a good boss. I haven't had many in my career. Were it any of my previous bosses at the Anti-Cartel, I would probably have been tossed out with the garbage." James smirks, then leans back forward. "I share your devotion to your fellow team members. I was devastated when I heard what happened in Torino. But, you don't know how happy I was to hear your voice again, and I want to make sure you get back on track physically. Not as your boss..." James stands up and extends his hand. "...but as a friend." Tom nods, stands up, and shakes James's hand. "Thank you." Tom pulls his keys out his pocket and starts taking his car key off his ring. James says "Don't worry about it. You can keep using your car." Tom stops what he's doing and nods his head. "Thanks friend." Tom gets up and starts walking towards the door.

**Play theme**: youtube dot com /watch?v=22Vz-ngNomA

_**Baltimore, MD- Terrapin Tavern**_

Later that night, we see Tom is seated with Mike and David in a familiar corner booth. Tom takes notice of his surroundings. "David, I sat right here after the Spain mission with Mike, Chris, Charlie, Jacob, and Eddie. We all were happy to be alive after that debacle. Plus, there's also another reason I'll never forget this place, and it involves you." David shrugs, but Mike sees where he's going. Mike says "I was sitting right here when Tom got the call that Lisa was having Susan. We all came straight from here to the hospital." David smiles. "Yeah, I'll never forget that night, you guys walking down the hallway. That meant a lot." Tom asks David "How is the little girl?" David nods. "She's good. Davie loves her, in fact, he won't leave her alone at times." David looks down a little sad and Tom takes notice. Tom asks "What is it?" David says "After the Torino mission, I was going to ask you if you wanted to be Susan's godfather." Tom leans back. "Wow...I don't know what to say. Especially now." David looks at Tom. "Well, the offer is still there. I'd still love for you to be her godfather." Tom stares at the table for a bit. "I'm humbled that I'd even be considered, especially after what happened last month." David pats Tom on the shoulder. "You've done more for me than anyone else has, and I truly am thankful for that. You're still good in my book." Mike raises his beer glass. "Same here. What happened was not your fault." Tom shakes his head. "I tripped over that wire..." Mike cuts him off. "...that wouldn't have been there if we hadn't had moles feeding us bad information." Tom still looks down. "I couldn't see the damn wire when I checked out the room. It was a clear wire that was in a shadow." Mike says "Anyone could have tripped over that thing." Tom sighs and thinks for a bit. He then looks at David. "I'd love to be Susan's godfather." David smiles. "Thank you. What was your mother's name?" Tom looks a little surprised at the question. "Mary. Why?" David thinks for a bit, then nods his head. "Susan Mary Marston. I like the ring of that." Tom chuckles a bit then puts his arm around David's shoulders. "I'm honored that my mother's name will live on in Susan. Thanks for this." David smiles. "Thank you for looking out for me two years ago." Mike stands up. "Tom, you need another beer?" Tom starts to stand himself. "Yeah, I'll get it. David, you need another..." Mike holds up his arms. "Sit, Tom. I'm buying tonight." Tom shakes his head. "No, you got the last round, it's my turn." Mike shakes his head. "Tom, I'm just happy I'm still able to buy you a beer PERIOD. Sit down, I've got our drinks tonight." Tom nods his head and sits back down as Mike walks to the bar. Tom starts staring at the table again, then grabs his neck. David asks "Are you alright?" Tom looks over at David and laughs. "Did you listen to my debrief with James?" David nods his head. "Yeah...I can't believe what you went through." Tom shakes his head. "I'm still going through it. My neck and shoulder are killing me." David says "You appear to be taking the pain well for someone that went through what you did." Tom shrugs. "I can honestly say that I know of no one that has gone through what I did, so I guess I have to set the precedent." David starts to speak, but Tom puts his hand up. "David, I'd rather not talk about my injuries. I can't think about what happened without thinking of our friends." Mike gets back to the table with the beers. He hands out the beers and says "What about our friends?" Tom looks at Mike, who's sitting down. "I was just telling David that I don't want to discuss what happened to my body anymore. I can't think about what happened without thinking of my friends that died that day. It just tears me apart inside." Mike nods, then holds up his beer bottle. David and Tom hold up their beer bottles. Mike says "To our fallen friends, and to the man that was returned to us..." Tom finishes off. "...and to two of the best, and really, only friends I have left on this earth now." Mike and David looks remorseful as Tom takes a drink. David asks "You still have Kate, Tom." Tom shakes his head. "Nope. I stopped by the apartment before going to Dark Cover. She told me that she was done with me lying about my career to her, that she was cheating on me for the past few months anyway , and that she couldn't live with a 'freak'.. She packed her things and left." David hangs his head and Mike just shakes his head. Mike says "That's awful, man. And screw her for calling you a freak. You're still the same man I knew from the Anti-Cartel years ago." David says "Yeah, that was beyond horrible. I'm sorry you had to hear that." Tom smirks a bit. "I appreciate it, guys." Tom takes another drink and stares into the table again. Then, he looks up at Mike a bit somber. "You know, Mike, it's funny you bring up the Anti-Cartel just now. I've been thinking about why it was that I was allowed to endure while my friends died." Mike shakes his head. "Dude, don't even start thinking like that." Tom ignores him and says "What if I was allowed to survive as some sort of punishment for all the shit we did in the Anti-Cartel?" Mike shakes his head. "We didn't do anything to anyone that didn't have it coming to them." Tom shrugs. "Maybe. I mean, the whole idea behind the Anti-Cartel was to be a force against some of the worst dregs walking this planet. But, I can think of at least a dozen times where we went completely overboard." David asks "What did you do?" Mike cuts Tom off and says "We're not going to dig up those skeletons here. Besides..." Mike looks back at Tom. "...we toned down our act when we got to Dark Cover. We still pushed the boundaries at times out there, but we didn't have to get as violent with whoever it was we were pursuing. That's got to count for something." Tom shrugs nonchalantly. "Still...the whole idea that a man's skeletal system can simply be replaced is preposterous to even the most rational thinkers. And yet, here I am. I survived. Mike, I've never been a big believer in fate, but there has to be a reason I was allowed to endure on this earth. There just has to be. And after the sins I committed in the Anti-Cartel, the bill came due in Torino, and now I have to pay." Tom's eyes start to well up, but before the waterworks open up, Tom walks away from the table, leaving Mike and David concerned.

**The next day**

_**Towson, MD- Tom's apartment**_

We see Tom sitting on the couch, just staring off into space. We see his apartment is a bit emptier without Kate's things there. He's just sitting there, clutching a pillow to his body, and occasionally winces in pain. He quickly has flashbacks to the Torino mission, each flashback causing him to wince in pain. After a while, he hears a knock on the door. Tom stands up and walks to the door and opens it. Harold Vandenburg is standing there. "Hello Tom, how are you feeling?" Tom, with an extremely somber face, blankly says "I've been better." Vandenburg holds up a file. "I've got some interesting news that I'd like to share and discuss with you. It's about your physical condition." Tom opens the door wider. "Come on in. Sorry for the mess, my ex-wife moved out yesterday." Vandenburg stops walking in. "Oh, Kate left? I'm so sorry." Tom shrugs. "That train was careening off the tracks before Torino. Don't worry about it. Would you like something to drink?" Vandenburg says "You don't happen to have a Coke, do you?" Tom nods. "Well, I have Vanilla Coke, is that ok?" Vandenburg nods his head. "Yes, that's be great, thank you." Tom walks over to the refrigerator and grabs two Vanilla Cokes. Tom walks over to Vandenburg and hands him his can of soda. Tom walks to the living room and sits down on the couch. He turns off the TV and says "You can sit in that recliner across the way if you like." Vandenburg sits down on the recliner. Tom leans forward. "What have they found?" Vandenburg opens the file. "Thanks for seeing them yesterday, by the way. It's very interesting how your body has reacted to the surgery." Tom shrugs. "Yeah, yeah, interesting how?" Vandenburg says "Well, whoever did the work did it as to ensure as close to a full recovery as possible." Tom nods. "So, this pain in my neck, hips, and left shoulder will go away eventually?" Vandenburg nods. "That's what our doctors believe. The bones were very cleanly cut and were attached to the titanium skeleton in ways that are supposed to keep flexibility in all the joints. Your left arm is actually connected to a custom socket in your left shoulder that actually cups the end of the bone and keeps it in place. Your scars seem to show that Doctor Kozlov went in through the front of your body, for the most part..." Tom stands up and takes off his shirt. "Doctors showed me this yesterday, too." Tom turns around and we see a long scar run down from Tom's hairline down his spine to his tailbone. Vandenburg says "Yes, it would appear Kozlov went in through the back at least a couple times to address the spine. The spine is giving us two concerns." Tom raises an eyebrow. "Go on..." Vandenburg says "Well, it's of our doctor's belief that you could have neck problems down the road." Tom sits back. "Yeah, that area has been giving me the most problems...that and my left shoulder." Vandenburg leans forward. "What they're most concerned about is your neurological condition. At some point, when Kozlov was working on your spine, doctors think he bumped your brain at some point." Tom winces a bit. "Ah, that explains the headaches then." Vandenburg nods. "In all likelihood, yes. The doctors think that you're a high risk for concussions and blackouts. Any blows to the head put you at considerable risk for head trauma. Doctors seem to think it's also tied with your issues with walking and running." Tom nods his head. "Will I be able to walk and run normally again?" Vandenburg advances a couple of pages. "That part is inconclusive. Now, you say that you were able to regain your basic walking ability, right?" Tom nods. "I'm able to walk, but not at what I'd call full stride yet. And I can't run without falling on my face." Vandenburg nods. "Well, our doctor would like you to report for daily rehab. He believes that, if you've learned to walk again this quickly, that you should be able to regain your motor skills in your legs soon. He believes it's a neurological issue that arose when they replaced your spine." Tom nods and looks down. "Vandenburg, will I ever be a field agent again?" Vandenburg closes Tom's file and sits back. "Well, that's difficult to say. There is a lot of concerns and unknowns about your physical condition that, to be honest, we're afraid to risk in the field at this point." Tom nods. "I understand. But, could I ever recover enough in the CIA's eyes to be field-rated again?" Vandenburg shrugs. "Again, that all depends on you and what we learn about your condition. Right now, the main concerns are your neck, your shoulder, your motor skills, and your neurological issues." Tom looks down at the huge scar down his right arm. "What about the scars on my body? Can anything be done to get rid of them?" Vandenburg shakes his head. "Not without some drastic, major cosmetic surgery, and even then, the doctors don't hold much hope of improvement. The doctors believe that the Covenant had to reopen your body multiple times over the course of a few weeks. As a result, what you see is probably what you'll have for the rest of your life as your scars were never really given a proper chance to heal before they were cut open again." Tom chuckles and shakes his head. "So, when the pain subsides and I'm able to jog without falling over like a drunk, I'll still have a visual reminder of what happened to my tactical team." Vandenburg looks down. "Even with the information you told us, the CIA is chalking up the mission entirely to mis-information by a crooked informant. They've also linked Mitch's treachery as a cause of the downfall of Storm Crew." Tom clutches a pillow and squeezes it tightly. "That piece of garbage...how close were we to getting him thrown off the team anyway?" Vandenburg says "We were still a ways away before Cheryl came to us with the physical evidence. Since Mitch was dead and since we now had the physical evidence in hand, we made an immediate ruling that he was a traitor to the United States of America." Tom nods his head and smiles. "So, that's why I didn't see his grave at the cemetery." Vandenburg says "Precisely. We simply left his body for Italian authorities to deal with. Once he was found to be a traitor, his family didn't want him. No one did." Tom laughs. "An appropriate fate for a despicable human being. With all bad people, fate eventually catches up to them. Even in my case." Vandenburg looks down and doesn't say anything. Tom stands up. "Is there anything else?" Vandenburg stands and shakes his head. "About your health, no. The doctors say you're still fairly healthy, despite what you've endured. But, I do have a concern of my own." Tom asks "What is it?" Vandenburg looks down, then back up at Tom. "James tells me that you don't want to come back to Dark Cover." Tom looks down. "Harold, I often looked at myself as a shepherd when I was leading Storm Crew. It was my job to make sure I took care of my flock. Well, in Torino, I lost most of my flock because of a mistake I made. I never want to put another life at risk, even if it is just through intel that I gather. How can I trust anything I get from an informant if it could just lead to death?" Vandenburg says "James tells me you've used good judgment in your past intel, and we think you still have that. I still would like for you to consider returning to us as an analyst. Maybe, if your condition improves, we can talk about getting you field rated again. It would mean a lot to the rest of the office knowing that you're still around in body and spirit." Tom nods his head. "I'll think about it. James says I can use all the time I need to rehab both physically and mentally, and that's what I intend to do for the foreseeable future." Vandenburg nods his head and holds out his hand. "The door will always be open for you." Tom reaches out and shakes Vandenburg's hand. "Thank you. James says I can still use my Cadillac, is that ok with you?" Vandenburg nods and reaches into his suit and pulls out the title. "I've signed the title over to you. It's yours." Tom grabs the title and smiles. "This is too much..." Vandenburg smiles. "Consider it a thank you for all that you've done for us. We appreciate your efforts in helping neutralize the Covenant Special Sciences Division. You and your team are big reasons why Dark Cover has been a success. Two years ago, I thought I was making the right choice, and I haven't had a reason to be disappointed ever since." Tom nods his head. "I appreciate the kind words. You and James have always been fair." Vandenburg nods his head and walks out the door. He turns to Tom in the doorway. "Take care, Tom." Tom waves and Vandenburg walks away.

**Over the next 6 months...**

_Note: The following is meant to be a montage of Tom's life over the course of 6 months. No, I'm not going to shot list every nook and cranny of the montage like I did for Nadia's burial in Project Nadia. What I will do here is give an idea of what Tom's going through. And yes, I'll make a song recommendation: The Who's "Behind Blue Eyes"_

We see Tom at a rehab facility, re-learning how to walk properly. We see him running around a track, falling a few times, but getting better as time goes on. Eventually, we start seeing him running wind sprints, but he's not having much luck staying on his feet, particularly when he's slowing down.

We see Tom at various times go to the grave sites of Chris, Eddie, Charlie, Luke, Jacob, and Jerome. We hear him talking to himself one time as he's cleaning off Charlie's headstone. "You know, I can't take care of you guys anymore, but I can at least take care of your graves. I owe you that much." He always brings fresh flowers to their graves every week. He makes sure their grave sites look tidy, pulling out a pair of scissors and cutting grass in front of their headstones if it gets too tall. He also makes their headstones are cleaned off. All the while, we hear him talking about various missions and moments they shared in life. Some days, the tears overtake Tom as he's telling stories.

Towards the end of the montage, we see Tom trying to get into soccer. One day, he watches Liverpool make a big comeback on Manchester United. Tom nods his head. "I just found my team..."

**December 10, 2003 (During Season 3 of Alias)**

_**Towson, MD- Riderwood Hills Park**_

We catch Tom running around along the paths in the park. It's now winter, and we see Tom bundled up for the occasion. He appears to be very coordinated now, save for the occasional slight stumble, which he usually just blames on a phantom patch of ice on the ground. Tom eventually stops running and puts his hand to his neck, checking his pulse. Then, he starts rubbing his neck. "Man, all this time, and this still hurts." Tom, exhausted from the run, sits down on a bench. We see Tom look at his right hand, which still features the scar from his Project Alloy surgery seven months ago. As he's examining his hand, a woman running by waves and says "Hi!" Tom looks up, smiles and waves. "Hey!" The woman runs on, continuing her workout. Tom looks at her as she walks by. "Damn right, Kate. I'm not a freak." Tom stands up and walks out to a football field. He stands at the goal line and looks out. He sees the ground still striped from football season. Tom then crouches in running position next to the goalpost. "Ok, Tom. You can run, now it's time to finish your rehab. Sprint, dammit!" Tom sprints 10 yards, touches the line, and sprints back. He stumbles a bit when he touches the back goalline, but stays on his feet. He then sprints out 20 yards, touches the line, and sprints back. A few stumbles along the way, but nothing major. Tom starts to smile. "I'm back!" Tom sprints out 30 yards, touches the line, and sprints back to the goal line. However, as he approaches the goal post, he tries to slow down, but that's when his legs give out on him. His head slams into the goal post and we hear a sickening _CRACK _after he lands on his left shoulder. We see he's got a cut on his head and his eyes are closed as he's knocked unconscious. The woman that ran by earlier sees him on the ground and runs over. She grabs a phone and dials 911. She says "Hello? I just saw a man fall in the Riderwood Hills Park, he hit his head on a goal post and is unconscious." The woman turns Tom over and notices his left arm is now a very ugly jagged shape. The woman starts to panic. "Oh my god, his left shoulder is destroyed!" The 911 operator asks "Do you know this person?" The woman starts patting Tom down and finds his wallet. She opens the wallet and looks at Tom's driver's license. "No, but I've got his license. His name is...Thomas Falk...he's from Towson. His shoulder looks like it's in really bad shape."

Meanwhile, we find Avian in a truck in Baltimore. He overhears on a scanner that Tom Falk was being taken via ambulance with a shoulder injury. Avian looks over to his associate. "He's back. Let's get him." The associate nods as Avian starts up the truck and takes off.

In the ambulance, we see Tom start to reawaken. He looks around and he sees where he's at. "What...where am I?" The paramedic next to him says "You were knocked out in Riderwood Hills Park. Your left shoulder is a mess, we're taking you in for surgery." Tom lifts himself up quickly. "Oh no! You can't fix me!" The paramedic says "We're going to reattach your arm to your shoulder..." Tom reaches over with his good arm and grabs the paramedic. "You don't understand! You won't know how! Reach into my pocket and find the business card of Mike Walcott, he's my friend at the CIA, he'll know what to do with me. I have a special condition!" The paramedic starts to reach over, but as he does, he's thrown back as we hear the sound of the ambulance being run into by another vehicle. Tom falls over and lands on his bad shoulder and screams in pain. The back of the ambulance flies open and we see Avian walk in with a needle in his hand. Tom tries to back away, but Avian is able to jam the needle in Tom's neck. Tom passes out.

_**Parts unknown**_

Tom wakes up in a familiar setting. A small, concrete room in a hospital bed. A door to his left and a lone window to his right. He closes his eyes. "Oh lord, I'm back in Mexico." Tom looks down and notices his left arm is in a sling. Tom feels his shoulder, but as he does, a male doctor walks in. This one is much younger than Doctor Kozlov. The doctor smiles. "Ah, I see you're awake! Welcome back to the Covenant, Glen Morris!" Tom lies back in his bed and laughs. "Oh, here we go again with this crap." The doctor says "Well, we'll get you to believe you're Glen before long. Besides, unlike your last escape, you only have one working arm this time. We were able to successfully reattach your arm to your shoulder socket. It wasn't easy, since part of the bone chipped off, so we had to fuse the arm back into the socket. You'll notice you won't have as much flexibility in it anymore. What did you think those people at the hospital would have done? You should be happy we found you." Tom rolls his eyes. "Geez, thanks." The doctor laughs. "Kozlov might have been able to fix it back to normal, but you had to go kill him. Tsk tsk." Tom laughs. "Well, at least you have a sense of humor. Doesn't mean you're not an asshole." The doctor checks some vitals on the machine. "Ok, looks like we're in good working order. I'll give you a break, I'm sure you're tired. In fact, I know you are since we're drugging you this time to make sure you don't get any vigilante ideas like before." Tom sheepishly nods. The doctor says "I'll be back and we'll start you on the path to becoming a Covenant agent." The doctor walks out. Tom looks over and sees the doctor left his medical file. "That must be what they have about Project Alloy..." Tom then smiles as he sits on the edge of the bed. "And once again, whatever crap they gave me to make me tired...isn't working. Thanks, Kozlov." Tom gets to his feet and yanks out his IV. He walks over to the window and sees he's directly above the street this time with no privacy fence. In the distance, he can see the Baltimore skyline. "Ah, still in the good ol US of A!" Tom looks down at a car that just parked below him and sees it's about three stories down, a bit of a bigger jump than his Mexico escape. Tom thinks for a bit and nods. "I can make it." Tom hears footsteps outside the door. Quickly, he walks over and gets in position behind where the door will open, just like he did in Mexico. The doctor walks in. "Oh, I just realized I didn't give you the drug..." The doctor sees the empty bed. "Oh crap..." This time, Tom shoves the door into the back of the doctor. The doctor staggers a bit and turns around...just in time to be clocked in the face by a Tom Falk haymaker. Before the doctor can fall, Tom picks him up and tosses him out the window with his good arm. Tom watches as the doctor narrowly misses the car and smacks on the concrete. Tom grimaces at the thud. He thinks about the distance and asks himself "Damn, Tom, are you sure about this?" Tom then hears an alarm go off. "Ok, my choices are die or take my chances. I'm taking my chances." Tom runs over, grabs his medical file from the table, and gets to the window. He looks out a bit, then hears the door start to open behind him. Tom looks back out and breathes deeply. "Here we go again..." Tom leaps off and crashes back-first on top of the car. Tom lets out a loud groan in pain, but notices it's not as bad as it would have been if he had a normal back and not a titanium one. Tom is able to roll off the top of the car and open the door. He's happy to see it's still running. Tom then gets in the car and starts to drive away as the Covenant start to pursue him in two vehicles. Tom makes a turn and hears on the CB radio in the car that the Covenant is now pursuing him. Tom looks at the scanner and starts thinking. "What was that frequency that David uses at work? Ah!" Tom reaches with his bad arm and holds on to the wheel as he adjusts the dial on the scanner with his good arm and picks up the mouthpiece. "Commodus! Commodus, this is...Maximus! Do you read?"

At Dark Cover, David jumps up when he hears Tom's voice on the CB. He grabs his mouthpiece. "Tom?" In the car, Tom rolls his eyes. "Yes! It's Tom Falk! I just escaped from the Covenant...again!" David asks "Where are you?" Tom says "I'm in Essex! I just got on the JFK freeway and I'm heading north towards Edgewood! I need an escort, I'm being pursued!" James walks over to the desk after hearing Tom on the CB. James says "David! Tell Tom I'll send an escort right away!" David looks at James, nods, and then says "Tom, James says he's going to get you an escort! What exit are you at?" Tom looks at the next exit sign. "Just passed King Avenue!" James sends a few men towards the elevator and runs back to James. "Tell Tom that the escorts should be there after the Route 152 exit! What is he driving?" David asks "They'll be there after the Route 152 exit! What are you driving?" Tom laughs. "Well, it's a black Lexus that has a body-sized dent on its roof. You can't miss me!" James nods and runs off to call the escorts. David says "Alright, just keep driving. What happened?" Tom shakes his head. "I'll tell you when I get there!" Tom looks in the rearview mirror and sees two cars tailing him. Eventually, Tom does crosse the Route 152 interchange and sees two black cars with police lights come off the ramp. They get on Tom's back bumpers and we see the Covenant cars slow down and join the rest of the traffic. Tom finally relaxes as he completes his trip to Dark Cover.

_**Edgewood, MD- CIA Dark Cover headquarters**_

We see Tom exit the elevator with the men that escorted him back to Dark Cover. Tom has the medical files in his hand as James runs up to greet Tom. "Are you alright?" Tom looks down at his arm in a sling. "I've been better!" James laughs a bit, then notices the files in his hand. "What's that?" Tom says "These are everything that the Covenant had on me during the Project Alloy project, along with the procedure they used to reattach my left shoulder." James eyes light up. "Oh great! Our doctors will be glad to see this!" Tom says "The car that I came in also had some Covenant things in it, it's in the parking garage." James smiles and says "Thanks for coming here with this. You can come to my office and tell me what happened." Tom nods and walks behind James. Tom passes David by and gives him a thumbs up, which is returned by David, who looks happy to see Tom back in the office.

Tom walks up the steps and notices James walks into Vandenburg's office. Tom walks in and sees James sit down. Tom looks confused. "Uh, why are you sitting in Vandenburg's chair?" James looks at Tom and laughs. "You don't keep up with American politics, do you?" Tom keeps his confused look as he sits in front of James. James says "Vandenburg's father passed away suddenly a little over a month ago. His final wish was to see his son appointed to his Senate seat. So, Vandenburg left the keys to this place to me. I'm now the director of CIA Dark Cover!" Tom nods his head and smiles. "I see! Man, a lot can change in six months!" James smiles. "So, what happened exactly?" Tom says "Well, I was running in Riderwood Hills Park in Towson..." James nods. "Yeah, the doctors say your rehab was going extremely well." Tom nods. "Yeah, the neck still bugs me a bit, but until earlier today, everything else was feeling fine." James says "Well, with these files you got us, we'll know much more about your condition." Tom grins. "Good. Anyway, as I was saying, I got this harebrained idea to do wind sprints on a football field. Now, as your doctors probably told you, I was still falling down like a goof when I would try to sprint. Well, I did a 10 yard dash and was fine, a 20 yard dash and was fine...for the most part, and then I did a 30 yard dash, and as I was trying to stop, I ended up losing my footing. Last thing I remember was clanking my head on the goalpost." James winces a bit. "You were knocked out." Tom nods. "Yeah, I guess they were right about being prone to head trauma. Anyway, long story short, I was knocked out, woke up in an ambulance, was knocked out again by the Covenant, who had ran over the ambulance. I woke up with my arm in a sling in a similar hospital room like I had in Mexico during my Project Alloy experience. The doctor tells me he's drugged me to make me less energetic, but I noticed I still had my piss and vinegar about me. So I hop out of bed, look out the window, see a car parked below, doctor walks back in, I punch him and toss him out the window, I jump out, and, well, you know the rest." James laughs. "Sounds like quite the caper!" Tom nods. "My back hurts a bit from the fall, but it's just sore. Remember, I have indestructible titanium back there now!" James laughs again. "Well, I'm glad your ok. And we'll have our doctors look over this information and get back to you..." Tom shakes his head. "James, after today...I think I'm ready to come back if the door is still open." James nods his head and smiles. "You sure you don't need time?" Tom shakes his head. "You know, I'll always live with the memory of my friends in the back of my mind, and I'll always live with what's inside of me now from Project Alloy. But, I don't want either one of those things to define me and guide me in my thought process anymore. I want to be seen for the agent and person I am, not as a freak or as a shepherd who can't tend his flock." James says "Well, the details of the Torino mission, along with anything pertaining to Project Alloy have been classified at the highest levels. The Torino mission details were classified after Mitch and my informant were deemed as moles, and Project Alloy is something that the CIA really doesn't want to be available to the public for obvious reasons." Tom nods his head. "So, my secrets are safe. That's good." James nods his head. "Anyway, yes, the door is very much open for you to come back. I can set you up next to Mike and have you help him on his missions. You can start again Monday. Before you leave, I'll make sure you get new credentials." Tom stands up and extends his hand, and James shakes it. Tom says "Thank you for bringing me back." James smiles. "Thanks for coming back!" Tom starts to walk out, but then stops and turns to James. "Speaking of Mike, where is he? I didn't see him downstairs." James says "He's been on a deep cover mission for the past four months, but he's due back here Monday. I'm telling you, he has become a great asset for us." Tom smiles. "I know. He's a natural. Chris used to tell me that Mike has ice water running through his veins. I believed him, too." James smiles. "So do I, that's a good description of Mike. Anyway, I'll let him know you're back when he returns." Tom nods and walks out.

**June 15****th****, 2004 (After the end of Season 3 of Alias)**

We rejoin Tom and Mike sitting next to each other in CIA Dark Cover. We see now that Dark Cover has a lot of empty desks, a similar ominous sign that Tom and Mike experienced in the Anti-Cartel when that division was on its last legs. As we learned in Alias, the Covenant are thought to have dismantled by now, so the team is trying to find other things to do. We see Tom and Mike overlooking a file. Tom says "Anna Espinosa. This woman sounds like she's about as slippery as Terrell Owens' hands at times." Mike laughs. "About 10 months ago, she evaded me and looked like she disappeared, but now, she's back, and working for the Cadmus Revolutionary Front." Tom nods. "Those Covenant posers!" Mike grins as James walks by. Mike stops him. "Hey James, we found Anna Espinosa." James says "Great, where is she?" Tom says "My informant tells me that she's going to be meeting with a high ranking former Covenant official in Panama tomorrow. We're going to try to intercept her so she can start spilling the beans on these guys." James nods, then hangs his head. "Well, normally David would go out in support of whatever Mike does, but he's been out taking care of Lisa." Mike asks "How is she doing?" James shrugs. "She's still battling the flu. But, she's getting better I'm told." Tom says "Why don't I go out with Mike on support? The doctors say I'm basically back to normal." James sighs. "I'd like for you to go out, but it's not that simple." Tom shrugs. "Well, I see we're shorthanded, and this woman is important. Look, send me out, and if it's proven that I'm an asset and not a liability in the field, the CIA will clear me. After all, I learned last year that all you need is a little hard proof to get the CIA to bend to your will." Mike hangs his head. "Can't believe it's been a year." Tom looks over. "I know...I know." James thinks for a moment. "Ok, go with Mike. If everything goes ok, I'll see about getting you field-rated again." Tom smiles. "Thanks, man." However, before Tom can start gearing up, we hear the elevator door open up. We see Director Chase walk out. "Can I have everyone's attention!" Everyone stops what they're doing, including James, who was walking towards his office. Chase says "This division is ordered to be shut down, effective immediately!" Tom's jaw just about hits the floor, along with many others in the division. James runs up to Chase. "What the hell is going on? Why wasn't I told about this?" Chase says "After Vandenburg lost his election bid, this division lost its clout in the Senate Intelligence Committee, and this division has been deemed an unnecessary cost." Tom walks up to Chase. "What's to become of us?" Chase says "I'll be interviewing everyone here and reassigning everyone. No one is being fired, but we do have other positions available elsewhere in the CIA that need to be filled." Chase walks off with James towards his office as Tom walks back to Mike. "Jesus, what's going to become of us?" Mike smiles. "I got that covered." Tom asks "Uh, how?" Mike says "Me and David have been talking for a while about going freelance for the CIA. He wants more home time with his children and it would give me a bigger variety of jobs. We'd like to have you aboard." Tom thinks about it, then nods. "Ok, I think that sounds like a plan!"

A little later, we see Tom sitting outside of James Lennox's office. He's sitting calmly until he sees Mike walk out. Mike gives him a real somber look, then shakes his head. Tom looks confused. "What is it?" Before Mike can answer, Chase walks out. "Thomas Falk, come on in." Tom stands and walks in the office. Tom sits down in front of the desk. Behind the desk, Director Chase sits down and James stands to her right. Director Chase leans forward. "Tom, I know about what's inside of you." Tom sighs. "Project Alloy..." Chase says "Yes. As I understand from James, you have not been cleared yet for field-duty because of some concerns." Tom shakes his head. "My shoulder is fine and is my neck." Chase shakes her head. "The doctors have concerns about both, but are more concerned about your neurological condition. You're still a high risk for head trauma if you bump your head the wrong way." Tom shrugs. "I can manage it. And as for my shoulder, well, I know it popped out once, but it's supposed to be in there for..." Chase cuts him off. "I cannot allow you to become a freelance agent for the CIA." Tom hangs his head, like the life got sucked out of him. "James, you said you were going to clear me..." James says "I know, Tom, and I tried, but there was nothing..." Chase says "The CIA doesn't feel you're fit for field duty anymore. We're concerned that you might be a liability in the field." Tom, still staring at the floor, shakes his head. "Field duty is all I know. You've seen my record, I thrive in the field!" Chase sits back. "Oh, I've seen your record. While it does seem like you've cleaned up your act here, you've got a lot of red flags from your days in the Anti-Cartel." Tom throws his hands up. "I had directors there that were out to get me, Chase. I still got the job done." Chase leans forward. "But not in the way we like. It might have flown in the Anti-Cartel, given the nature of your assignments there, but as far as being a freelance agent, even if you were healthy, I'd have serious doubts about letting you go freelance." Tom leans his head back, then slaps his knees. "So, is this it? Do I get my walking papers now?" Chase says "Quite the contrary. James tells me you've done a good job gathering intel since you've returned. And one thing that jumped out at me in the Anti-Cartel was a review that your first director, Eduardo Munoz wrote about you." Tom looks at Chase. "What did he say?" Chase says "He said you were very dedicated and conscientious with your intel and that you were very good at getting information that led to big things. You're still an expert on Latin American dealings, and we think you'd be a good intelligence analyst for us in Langley." Tom puts his head in his hands. "You mean, I'm going to be chained to a desk?" Chase says "I'm afraid so. I know this hurts, but it's all I have for you. You'll be kept at your paygrade for the remainder of your contract." Tom lowers his hands and now looks angry as he stares a hole into the front of the desk. Then, he looks up at Chase. He stares at her for a bit angrily, then says "So be it."

**NEXT EPISODE: NOW HIRING**


	15. Chapter 12: Now Hiring

**NOW HIRING**

**Dayperiod of episode: Starts January 19, 2005 (During Season 4, Episode 4 of Alias)**

_**Langley, Virginia- CIA Headquarters**_

We catch up with Tom sitting at his desk, just staring off into space. Down the row of cubicles to his right and left, we see others working on various projects. Tom reaches over and picks up a picture on his desk. It's a picture of everyone from Storm Crew, lined up from left to right. We focus in on Tom and Chris in the middle of the picture. Chris is standing there with his arm around Tom and a big goofy grin on his face. We see Tom's eyes start to well up a bit, but before he can really start the waterworks, he's interrupted by someone to his right leaning back in his chair. "Man, if I have to work on this Al-Qaeda splinter cell project anymore, I'm gonna lose my mind." Tom sets the picture down and then grabs a kleenex. The guy next to him, who looks like he might be 20 years old at the most, takes notice. "What's up?" Tom looks over and smirks. "Damn allergies. And you're right, this project Chase has us on is getting old." The man nods his head. "I know. I hoped when I started here I'd get a chance to be in the field." Tom's eyes open up a bit. "You have any specialties?" The man asks "What do you mean?" Tom chuckles and shakes his head. "You good with explosives? Security systems? Computers?" The man laughs. "I'm good at driving things...and stuff." Tom chuckles a bit, but looks a bit disappointed. "You'll get there." The man leans his head back. "Man, don't you think this place feels like a prison sometimes?" Tom turns away, thinking back to his various assignments in the field. "Yeah...I do."

Meanwhile, while Tom and his friend are having their conversation, we see Director Chase walk by and approach a man that's very familiar if you watched Alias. Chase says "Jack Bristow, nice of you to drop by." Jack lets out a tiny crack of a smile. "Thank you, hopefully you can help solve a little problem I have..." Chase turns around and starts escorting Jack down the hallway. As she's walking by Tom, she stops and looks over. "Are you going to have that report for me later?" Tom nods his head. "It's almost done, I'm just waiting to confirm some small details." Chase nods her head back. "Good. Bring it up to me when you're done." Chase walks away and Tom looks at Jack as he follows Chase. Tom's young friend asks "I wonder who the heck that is." Tom shakes his head as he turns around to get back to work. "No clue. But, remind me not to play poker with him."

In Director Chase's office, we see Jack take a seat across from Chase's desk. Chase gets to her seat and starts to sit down. "So Jack, what brings you all the way over here? Troubles at APO?" Jack shakes his head. "Just a personnel issue. You remember Eric Weiss, right?" Chase nods. "Yeah, you told me you wanted him to join APO eventually." Jack nods. "Yes. But, Sydney informs me that he's taking a job with the NSC. I don't think we'll be able to convince him to join us now. He's apparently sought that position for some time." Chase leans back. "You're right, he probably won't join APO now. So, this leaves you a person short." Jack nods. "Yes, it does. I was hoping that you would recommend someone to fill the spot we had waiting for him." Chase leans back forward. "What are you looking for in this person?" Jack says "Someone good at gathering intel, someone who could go out in support duty, and someone who either knows or would understand our unique subject material." Chase laughs a bit. "Jack, you guys at APO are in your own little world. Seems like everyone there has some connection to Rambaldi or was exposed to his world early in life. Frankly, I can't think of anyone off the top of my head that would be a fit..." We hear a knock on the door. Chase, a little irritated, says "Excuse me Jack...COME IN!" The door opens and we see Tom Falk walk in with a file in his hands. "Excuse me, I don't mean to interrupt, but you said you wanted this report first thing." Chase stares at him for a bit. She has a look like she's thinking about something, which makes Tom a bit uneasy and causes him to stop in his tracks. "I can come back?" Chase shakes her head. "No, come on in." Tom nods and closes the door. He walks up to Chase's desk and hands her the report. "This is the intel from Al-Qaeda's Latin American ties. That front appears to have really quieted down of late. Even my old stomping grounds in El Salvador appear to be quiet, and that's rare." Chase glances at the report. "Ok, I'll look at it in a bit. In the meantime, I'd like you to meet Jack Bristow." Tom looks down at Jack and extends his hand. "Tom Falk. It's a pleasure." Jack shakes his hand. "Pleasure's mine." Chase says "Tom, have a seat." Tom sits down a little cautiously. "What is this about?" Chase asks "How long was it you spent tracking the Covenant?" Jack raises an eyebrow slightly and looks at Tom. Tom, still looking at Chase, says "Well, Covenant Special Sciences was our tactical team's main priority for over two years." Jack asks "Who were your supervisors?" Tom looks at Jack, then back over at Chase. "Is it ok to talk about this with him?" Chase nods his head. "Go ahead." Tom looks over at Jack. "I was a part of a black ops unit called CIA Dark Cover. Our director was a man named Harold Vandenburg, and his second in command was James Lennox." Jack recognizes that name. "James Lennox was your supervisor. Interesting." Tom nods a little uncertainly. "Yeah, why? Did you know him?" Jack says "Yes. My group helped him while he was tracking Project Helix." Tom leans back and laughs. "Project Helix...wow, I can't count the hours our team spent tracking down intel on that." Jack says "How is James these days?" Tom shrugs. "I haven't seen him since our division folded. I've talked to him a couple times on the phone, though. He's a good guy. We butted heads a couple of times, but he was a good boss." Jack nods his head, but doesn't say anything. Tom looks over at Chase. "What is this about? Am I in hot water over something?" Chase looks at Jack, then back at Tom. "I don't know, do you think there's something we should know about?" Tom shrugs and shakes his head. "Actually, no. Project Helix was a clean operation until James went deep cover to finish it off." Chase nods her head, apparently satisfied. "Thanks for bringing me in the Latin America report. If there's anything else, we'll be in contact." Tom nods as he gets up. He looks over at Jack. "Have a good day." Jack nods. "You too." Tom walks out. After he closes the door, he shakes his head. "What the hell was that about?" Tom eventually walks off a little confused.

**Play theme**: youtube dot com /watch?v=22Vz-ngNomA

Meanwhile, back in Chase's office, we see her lean back in her chair. "Well, what do you think?" Jack says "I'll have to read up more about him." Chase reaches back into a file cabinet and starts sorting through the files. "Well, I figured you would..." Chase pulls out Tom Falk's personnel file and hands it to Jack. Jack opens it up starts paging through it a bit. He immediately notices sealed documents and areas that are blacked out. "Why are some of his records sealed and blacked out?" Chase says "I can't go into detail. All I can say that he's been dealing with a medical issue, and that's why he's here as an analyst and not as a field agent." Jack looks perturbed now. "You mean, he can't even be out in support duty?" Chase sighs. "I didn't say that." Jack tosses his file back on Chase's desk. "I don't want a liability on my team." Chase slides the file back to Jack. "We've been holding him back from the field as a precaution. To be honest, in a support role that I think you're talking about, he would be fine." Jack shakes his head. "I watched him walk out of here. He doesn't have a limp and he doesn't appear to be in any pain. What's the problem?" Chase says "Again, I can't say." Jack fires back "Is he a headcase?" Chase thinks for a bit, then shakes her head. "Not exactly." Jack looks flustered. "You don't feel good enough about him to have him in the field now, but you feel good enough to have him on my team?" Chase sighs and sits back in her chair. "He's been here for a few months since his division folded. He wanted to become a freelance agent, but there were some concerns at the time, concerns that appear to have been alleviated during his time here. I'll get an update on his condition today, but it's my belief that he wouldn't be a liability for you. He's very adept at gathering intel, and while his background is in tactical ops and not spying, he probably would work out for you, considering his familiarity with the Covenant. Plus, he'd probably appreciate the prospect of a change of scenery. This is not a man that works best when he's confined to a desk." Jack sighs and stands up and grabs Tom's file. "I'll take a look. Meanwhile, let me know what the doctors say." Chase nods. "I will." Jack walks out of the office as we see Chase pick up the phone.

_**Towson, MD- Tom's apartment**_

We see Tom pull up to the apartment he still has from his Dark Cover days. As Tom gets out of his car, he gets a phone call. He smiles when he sees who's on the caller ID. "Mike! How's it going?" Mike, from a hotel room, says "Good...real good! Me, David, and a few other freelancers just completed a mission in one of your favorite old hangouts from the Anti-Cartel." Tom starts walking up the steps to his apartment. "Are you going to make me guess?" Mike laughs. "As a matter of fact, yes." Tom says "El Salvador?" Mike says "Nope!" Tom starts to search his pockets for his keys as he's at the door. "Medellin?" Mike says "Close..." Tom smiles. "Ah! Panama!" Mike nods his head. "You got it." Tom opens his apartment door and starts walking in. "What are you doing down there?" Mike says "Chasing down one of your old friends. I thought you'd like to know that we were finally able to nab Diego Fernando Lopez." Tom laughs. "Diego, the one that got away! What did he do?" Mike says "You might be surprised." Tom shakes his head. "With Diego, I'm never surprised." Mike says "Human trafficking." Tom's eyes bulge out a bit. "Damn! Diego's moved up in the world! How'd he get caught?" Mike nods. "He was foolish enough to send some of his 'product' into LA, and one of the women identified him, right down to that little scar on his left cheek." Tom sighs and now looks disappointed. "Yeah...the one I gave him." After some silence, Mike asks "I thought you'd be happier." Tom sits down on the couch. "That was a different time for me. Back when I didn't care whose head I cracked, as long as the job got done." Mike now looks confused. "Well, we kind of had to for our job." Tom says"I know, but that carried over into Dark Cover sometimes when it wasn't really necessary. I dunno, I still feel that what happened in Torino, and later to me in Mexico City, was my punishment for those days." Mike shakes his head. "Tom, I committed a lot of the same crimes you did. And as you said, we cleaned up a lot in Dark Cover." Tom says "That's because we didn't have to bring the fight to gang members. The Covenant was more sophisticated than that." Mike says "Even though you...we...were toned down, your edge still helped get a lot done." Tom sighs. "Yeah, you're right. I dunno, I guess I just have too much time on my hands to dwell about such stupid thoughts anyway." Mike says "How are they treating you at Langley?" Tom shrugs. "Ok, I guess. I did get to reconnect with some old friends of ours in Latin America. My director had me write a report on Al-Qaeda's connections down there." Mike chuckles a bit. "Ah yes, the things gang members will do for a buck..." Tom laughs. "Don't get me started on that. But, as I was reading up on some of their dealings, I would think back to how we would have handled each one if the Anti-Cartel were still around." Mike laughs a bit and says "Oh, I'm sure we'd be down there, trying to figure out how a group of 2-4 men would succeed against dozens of gang members!" Tom chuckles, then recollects something. "Speaking of bringing up the past, there was a guy in my director's office asking about Project Helix today." Mike raises his eyebrows. "Do you know what for?" Tom stands up and walks to the window. "No, it was strange. He apparently worked with Lennox when his deep cover mission went to pot." Mike says "I guess that solves that riddle of why we weren't asked to help." Tom nods. "I guess so. Anyway, I have no idea what that was about. All I do know is that I'm back to not having a damn thing to do at work. I hate that." After some awkward silence, Mike says "Well, I just wanted to check in on you, see how you're doing." Tom says "I'm doing fine. Doctors think, after a year and a half, the worst is over physically." Mike says "That's good. So your neck is no longer grinding?" Tom nods. "Yeah, that's done apparently. I just have to make it a point to hide my scars at work. But, at least I don't have to hide my winces of pain anymore since I don't have as many." Mike says "What do you think would happen if someone saw you with a short sleeve shirt? Many people have scars." Tom sighs. "I just don't want Project Alloy to define me. And if people know about Project Alloy, they'll know what happened to our friends. Some things are best left buried in the past." Mike says "I understand. Anyway, I've gotta get some sleep, I have an early flight tomorrow." Tom says "Gotcha. Thanks for catching up." Mike says "No problem. Talk to ya later." Tom hangs up the phone and goes back to looking out the window.

**January 20, 2005**

_**Langley, Virginia- CIA Headquarters**_

As Tom walks through the front door, he's stopped by a female secretary. "Tom Falk?" Tom looks over and says "Yes?" The secretary says "Director Chase would like to see you. It's urgent." Tom nods and smiles. "Thanks for telling me!" Tom walks off with a confused look. "What the heck is it now?"

Tom walks into Chase's office and immediately notices Chase and Jack Bristow standing next to each other. Tom closes the door and Chase walks by him and locks the door. Then, she closes the blinds in the windows that are on either side of the door. Tom asks "Ok, what's going on here? You asked about Project Helix and James Lennox yesterday and I have no idea why." Chase says "Have a seat." Tom walks over to the seat he was in yesterday, to the left of Jack. Jack takes his seat and Chase sits behind her desk. Tom looks even more suspicious now. Chase says "I need you to promise that what is said in this room stays in this room. Do not tell anyone else about what we're about to talk about today, not anyone in the office, not your friends, family, no one. Got it?" Tom looks over at Jack, then at Chase. "As long as that promise works two ways, done. Now, would one of you two please explain what I'm doing here...again?" Jack hands Tom a file folder with the APO logo on the cover. Tom opens up the folder as Jack starts off. "I help run a black ops division in Los Angeles. We are a deep cover, black-ops division authorized by the CIA to undertake secret covert missions. You won't find any records in the CIA database about our work. Anyway, we're looking to bring someone with your intel gathering skills and your ability to help us during field operations." Tom flashes Chase a surprised look. "I'd be in the field again?" Chase nods. "Yes, but in support roles only. We still have some concerns about your health, but after Jack had a chance to review your file, he thought you'd be a fit." Tom looks at Jack, then down at the floor and smiles. "I don't know what to say..." Jack says "When was the last time you talked to your contacts that dealt with the Covenant?" Tom looks up. "Well, since they crumbled, not many, but I'm still confident that they'll talk to me again. Why, are they back in business?" Jack shakes his head. "No, but there have been other...developments involving former Covenant members that lead me to think that those contacts might still be of help to us." Tom nods. "I'm interested. Where do we go from here?" Jack says "I'd like to ask you a few questions about some things in your record, along with some general questions about how you'd handle certain situations." Tom smiles and nods. "I see you're a guy that pays a lot of attention to detail." Jack deadpans "I just like to have my bases covered. When would you like to meet with me?" Tom shrugs and looks at Chase. "No time better than the present, unless you have something you need from me, Director Chase." Chase shakes her head. "No, that's fine. You two can use Interview Room 3 down the hall and to the right." Tom nods his head and stands up as Jack does. Tom says "After you." Jack walks ahead of Tom, who follows him out of the room.

We catch up with Jack and Tom in a plain-looking interview room. Tom looks rather relaxed as Jack opens up his personnel file. Jack says "State your name for the camera." Tom leans forward and says "Thomas Loren Falk." Jack says "Your age." Tom says "33 years old." Jack says "Where do you live?" Tom says "22 Highland Avenue, Apartment C, Towson, Maryland." Jack looks up. "That's a bit of a drive to Langley." Tom shrugs. "I like the place. It's cheap." Jack nods and looks back down in Tom's file. "I'm going to ask you to recall certain events during your history with the CIA that I have some...concerns about. I want you to answer as rationally and truthfully as you can." Tom nods his head. "Absolutely." Jack looks down at Tom's file and flips a page. "In Argentina, in 1997, you were tasked with stopping a weapon trading ring between the Buenos Aires Carnicerias and various world dictators. You enlisted the help of the biggest gang in the country to accomplish that mission. What happened that forced you to make a deal with a gang?" Tom nods his head. "The Carns always did their trades from the comfort of their own home base on the Argentinian coast. It was simple, go out your back door, get down to the docks, load the weapons, and go back home. There was never any need to meet anywhere else, especially since they controlled the local police. I remember this was during a period at the Anti-Cartel where my boss was trying to cut any corners he could. He sent me and one other man, Mike Walcott, one of my most loyal friends since my early days in the CIA. Two men had to figure out a way to get entry into their compound, but the only way in was right through the front door, and they had it covered tight. We explored a water assault, but since they controlled all traffic along that part of the coastline, that was a moot idea. We explored the possibility of being parachuted in, but that only solved the problem getting in, and not getting out. Meanwhile, I had received intel from one of my sources that the leader of Los Magistrados had some sort of blood feud with them." Jack asks "How were you able to contact the gang leader?" Tom says "My contact was on friendly terms with that gang. He set up our meet. He also informed me that the leader of the Carnicerias, a lovely fellow named Pablo Ordonez, can usually be found nightly at a secret gambling joint that he ran on the other side of town. The leader of the Magistrados did not know this. So, in exchange for that information, he agreed to attack the building the establishment was in, which was also a Carniceria hideout. This created a diversion that forced many of their troops to go to the hideout, leaving their main hideout ripe for the picking. Argentine Intelligence supplied some agents and we were able to catch them red-handed in the middle of a weapon swap with the North Koreans. Meanwhile, the Mags were able to kill the Carniceria leader in their attack. From then on, the Mags leader was indebted to me after that." Jack nods. "Did the fact that you made friends with an Argentinian gang leader concern you at all?" Tom shrugs. "The Magistrados already were the top dogs in Argentina. They never ruffled any feathers outside of Argentina, so that factored my judgment. Meanwhile, I had to find a way to crack an international weapons ring. I learned early in life, Jack, that you just have to play with the cards you were dealt in the field." Jack nods his head, apparently satisfied. "Another incident here in 1999 that I had a concern about. In El Salvador, you and two others captured someone and reportedly used some...interesting torture methods to reveal the location of a man that his gang was holding hostage." Tom looks confused. "You're going to be specific here. I practically lived in El Salvador during that time period." Jack looks at Tom blankly. "When the man finally reached the U.S. Embassy, he couldn't sit down because he had a broken piece of a pool cue shoved up his..." Tom raises his hand. "Ok, I don't need that visual again." Jack, a little irritated, says "Why did you feel THAT was necessary?" Tom chuckles and looks down. "During that time I was trying for a kinder, gentler Tom Falk. Well, this guy was seeing right through it and completely stonewalled us, so I held him down while another guy on my team took a pool cue and gave our new friend a wood enema. We didn't mean for it to stay lodged up there. But, unfortunately for us...and him...he flipped over and the cue broke off and we couldn't get it out of him. We got the information we needed, though, and he was very cooperative when we dealt with him again on another issue the next year." Jack, unamused, asks "That's just one of many instances of brutality and excessive violence I find in your record..." Tom holds up his hand. "...but you probably noticed how much of that stopped after I got reassigned to CIA Dark Cover." Jack nods his head. "Yes." Tom, noticing Jack's short answer, says "There's a reason for that. Actually, there's a couple." Jack sits back. "I'm listening." Tom says "Early on in my time in the Anti-Cartel, I learned that reason didn't work with most of these gangs. The Magistrados were one of the exceptions. But, more often than not, you had to get right down in the gutter with these guys to get results. Sometimes, that meant doing things you didn't really feel too wholesome about afterwards. But, in the end, I was happy that we were making a difference down there...until the DEA started taking the wind out of our sails. Thankfully, when I got pulled into Dark Cover, I was lucky enough to work with Vandenburg and Lennox and they understood that sometimes, you have to push the envelope. However, the Covenant was much more sophisticated than your average Guatemalan gang, so I could use reason more and brutality less. It took a bit of getting used to, but I adjusted." Jack nods his head. "So, would it be fair to say that you only believe in using brute force when the situation warrants it?" Tom shakes his head. "Yes, sometimes brute force is necessary." Jack says "I see. Let's go back to 1993…." Tom looks down in his shoes. "1993 was an interesting year for me." Jack nods. "Yes it was. Your report says you were in drug rehab. Why?" Tom looks up from his shoes and leans forward. "Outpatient drug rehab, Jack. I didn't miss a day of work." Jack says "Whatever. What was the problem?" Tom stares intently into Jack's eyes. "Heroin." Jack, unflinching, asks "What caused you to become addicted to heroin?" Tom leans back in his chair. "This was when I was still a young pup in the Anti-Cartel, and my boss wanted to test me on my undercover skills. So, I was sent to pose as a drug supplier to a Mexican gang that was operating out of Los Angeles. Well, the gang would want me to test my supply in front of their eyes just to make sure it wasn't spiked or poisoned. It only took a couple of transactions before I became an addict. Problem is, we didn't pounce on these guys until three months after I had become an addict. I've done a lot of difficult missions and tasks since joining the CIA, but the hardest was keeping my addiction a secret from the Anti-Cartel as well as my wife until the mission was complete. Eventually, my secret came out to both the CIA and my wife." Jack asks "Why didn't you inform your division that you were having a problem?" Tom shrugs. "I wanted the mission to be a success. Whatever it took, I would do." Jack nods. "Do you have a family history of addiction?" Tom laughs. "My dad became a severe alcoholic after my mom was killed in a car accident when I was an infant. So, to answer your question, yes, I guess I inherited the addictive personality trait from him. That's why I don't even smoke and I only drink every once in a while. I've always wanted to avoid turning into him. In those months I was getting weaned off of smack, I was going through the scariest months in my life. But Jack, I swear on my life that I've never gone back down that well, nor do I ever intend to. And knowing first-hand what the effects are, I wouldn't wish that stuff on anyone." Jack nods his head. "I see. So now..." Jack is cut off by a cell phone call. "Excuse me, I have to take this." Jack walks out of the room as Tom sits back in his chair.

Jack answers the phone outside the door. "What is it?" Sloane, back at APO, asks "How's the interview going?" Jack says "We're in the middle of it. I thought this call might have been important." Sloane asks "My question stands. Is this man going to be a problem?" Jack deadpans "Too early to say, but my early hunch is no. There's a health issue with him that Chase won't talk about. I'm not seeing it, so I'll see if I can get an idea on what the issue is when we resume." Sloane says "Keep me informed" and hangs up. Tom walks out of the interview room as Jack puts his phone away. "I was just going to use the restroom, but if you're done..." Jack nods his head. "No, take your time." Tom smiles and nods as he walks off. Jack watches Tom walk away, trying to detect any limp, which he doesn't. He thinks for a bit, then walks back in the interview room.

**6 hours later**

We catch up with Tom and Jack continuing their interview. Tom yawns a bit, and looks at his watch. Jack says "I've noticed you've been rather patient throughout all of this." Tom looks at Jack. "You have to do what you have to do. Besides, this beats my normal day here." Jack nods. "I see. Next question." Tom leans forward. Jack says "Name me a situation where your first plan didn't work out, but through improvising, you were able to succeed in your mission." Tom laughs. "The first mission in Dark Cover in 2001. Me and three others had to extract a doctor in Argentina that the Covenant was interested in. However, he had been captured and was being held ransom by an up and coming gang: Los Conquistadores. We had intel that they were in a fortified compound that had only one way in and out….if this is sounding familiar, keep listening." Jack looks at Tom after that comment, then goes back to writing something down. "Anyway, when I got there, I wanted to check it out anyway for weak points. Well, long story short, I stepped on a twig as we were skimming the outside of the place and we had to bail out. Meanwhile, one of my guys was hanging back near our entry point and he was able to snipe two people, including a high ranking gang leader. Not only was he able to secure our release, but he gave us an opening to attack the next day." Jack says "How so?" Tom says "Well, I had to dust off my Anti-Cartel playbook and enlist the help of Los Magistrados again. The funeral for the fallen gang leader was the next day at noon, and the compound would be not as stocked with troops as it normally is. Like the Carnicerias mission four years earlier, the Magistrados leader wanted these guys gone in the worst way and helped us out. Unlike four years earlier, though, we only got two agents from Argentine Intelligence to help: Pedro Colon and his trainee Nadia Santos." Jack, who was taking notes, looks at Tom and raises his eyebrows a bit when he hears Nadia's name, but quickly composes himself to not give himself away and goes back to writing something down. Tom, who was looking away while Jack showed his surprise, continues unfazed. "We were able to sneak in as the Mags stormed the compound and we got our doctor, but not before Nadia had to save my life." Jack sets his pen down and leans forward. "What did Nadia do?" Tom laughs as he looks over at Jack and shakes his head in dismay. "I got stupid and tried to pry open a reinforced steel door by myself. Two gang members came from behind and had me dead to rights. Another guy came in through the room I was trying to get into and ordered me on my knees. He had a gun pointed at my head...and Nadia saved me by killing my captors before I was executed. We became very good friends after the mission." Jack says "How close were you two?" Tom shrugs. "Well, we lost touch a couple years ago after she transferred to a different department and started doing more deep cover stuff. But, I respect her very much and I still owe her a life debt." Jack closes the file on Tom and looks satisfied. "I think we're done here." Tom exhales. "You don't leave any stone unturned, do you?" Jack smiles a bit. "No, I don't. Do you have any other questions for me?" Tom looks down. "I want to make a final comment." Jack says "Go ahead." Tom thinks for a bit, then says "I know it might not be wise for me to say what I'm about to say, but I want to say it anyway. A year and a half ago, I had a man who I thought was a good friend turn out to be a double agent for the Covenant. I didn't find out until after he died in a mission trying to run away. But, he had been a double for over a year before that. And then, not long after he's found to be a double, my physical issue started. During my rehab and during these past few months, I've thought about the way I go about business, and I often would think about my former friend, and you know what I found?" Jack shrugs. Tom says "I found that you can only run from your sins for so long before they catch up with you. It did with him and it did with me. Now, I'm not going to say that I've lost my backbone, but the days of violence first and questions later...that's behind me. I can't go into detail about my physical issue, and even if the CIA would let me, I don't want to talk about it because I don't want it to define who I am. But, I probably should have died. And I figure there's a reason I was allowed to endure, and that is to see things are done the right way." Jack thinks for a bit, then says "I understand. Anyway, after talking with you, I've determined that you'd be a good fit for APO." Tom nods, then says "Jack, I need something from you before I join." Jack shrugs. "What?" Tom leans forward. "You spent basically the entire day grilling me, learning who I am and what I'm about. I want the same courtesy from you. I want to know who I'm working FOR and who I'm working WITH before I join. I want to look at your team's personnel files." Jack says "I can't do that." Tom stands up. "Well then, thanks but no thanks." Jack stands up quickly and cuts him off from the door. "Is that the only reason?" Tom nods slowly, but sternly. "I never went through an experience like this for a job. I know you have your methods and your reasons, but if you're going to bring me on knowing my dirt, I want to know yours." Jack looks down a bit, then steps out of the way. "Then I'm afraid we can't work together." Tom nods and walks by Jack towards the door. "Good luck filling the spot." Tom walks out the door, leaving Jack feeling a little dumbfounded.

_**Somewhere in Baltimore**_

We catch up with Jack Bristow in a car on a highway. He dials a number on his cell phone. On the other end, in Los Angeles, we see Nadia pick up the home phone. "Hello?" Jack says "Nadia, it's Jack." Nadia says "Oh, Sydney's not here..." Jack says "I know. I need to talk to you about something, are you alone?" Nadia nods. "Yeah, what is it?" Jack says "As you know, I'm looking to fill another spot in APO, and I'm considering a man that says he's worked with you in the past." Nadia looks intrigued. "Really, who?" Jack says "Tom Falk." Nadia's eyes light up. "Tom! Oh wow!" Jack says "So, you do know him?" Nadia, still a little surprised, says "Yeah, I was on a mission with him and his team in 2001. What is he doing these days?" Jack says "He's working out of Langley as an analyst." Nadia raises her eyebrows a bit at that and says "I wonder how he got there, he seemed to have a good thing going with his tactical team." Jack says "His division was shut down about 6 months ago. The CIA says he has a physical issue that has kept him from field duty for a year and a half, do you have any idea what it could be?" Nadia shrugs. "No, I lost contact with him a while ago after I transferred divisions at SIDE. He seemed healthy when we went on the mission, and he didn't say anything about any health issues when we'd talk." Jack says "About that mission in 2001, what were your impressions of him at the time?" Nadia thinks for a bit, then smiles. "He commanded respect from his team, but was also supportive. A real leader. He also improvised a way for us to complete the mission. Really, I just found him to be just a good guy overall." Jack says "How was your friendship with him after that?" Nadia laughs. "I'm almost afraid to say..." Jack asks "Why?" Nadia, still smiling, says "Well, if I had my wish, it would have become a romance. But, Tom was married at the time." Jack raises an eyebrow. "Interesting." Nadia says "Yeah, but as I said, we were good friends. We shared intel with each other for a couple years after that before I got transferred." Jack says "I understand." Nadia says "Actually, after that mission, I was promoted to a full agent, thanks to a commendation he gave me. Did he tell you that I saved his life?" Jack says "He mentioned something about that in our conversation today." Nadia laughs a bit. "Well, I thought he was a guy worth saving." Jack digests that comment a bit, then says "Good to hear. Anyway, I'm still considering him, but your information is helpful." Nadia smiles. "I hope you choose him. He's a good man and a good agent." Jack says "I see. Anyway, I have to go." Jack closes his phone as Nadia turns off her phone and looks down with a still surprised look on her face and laughs a bit. "I knew we'd work together again..."

_**Towson, MD- Outside Tom's apartment**_

Tom is driving into his apartment complex when he sees that a black SUV has parked in his usual spot. "Great, just what I needed today." Tom shakes his head and parks in the spot to the right of the SUV. Tom gets out of his car and pulls his keys out of his pocket. As he hits the lock button on his keyless pad, he hears a voice from the left. "You surprised me today." Tom looks left to see Jack walking from the driver's side of the SUV. Tom relaxes a bit. "Well, you drove an hour and a half to meet with the man that walked away from the negotiating table. I take it you have a new offer?" Jack walks in front of the SUV to reveal a stack of files under his left arm. Tom notices them. Jack says "I detected nothing but brutal honesty in your answers. When you walked out of the room, everything you said during our interview about how you conduct your business your way...I believe it." Tom smirks. "You know, you keep a damn good poker face. After spending 8 hours trying to get a read on you, you finally gave me a tell in there in the end." Jack shrugs. "What was it?" Tom says "It was when you blocked me from the door and asked if those files were the only thing keeping me from joining APO. After talking to you today, you seem like a guy that does things on his own terms too, and from what I can tell, you're probably very successful at it. So, if you were who I thought you were and wanted me to work for you as much as I thought you did, you'd find a way to get those files in my hands. So, I put you to the test." Jack gives a satisfied nod. "Well, it worked. Here's what you requested." Jack hands Tom the stack of files. Jack says "You only have about 12 hours with them before I have to return them to the CIA tomorrow morning. I'll be by your apartment at 6 AM to pick them up. I'll also want your final decision at that time." Tom nods. "I understand." Jack turns around and walks to the driver's side door. He stops and turns around and sees Tom starting to go up the stairs to his apartment. "Oh, and Tom?" Tom turns around. Jack says "If I were you, I would start with the first file on top. You might find it...interesting." Tom nods and says "Thanks!" Jack gets in his car and leaves.

Tom walks into his apartment and sets the stack of files on the coffee table in front of the couch the living room. He takes off his suit and dress shirt to reveal a wifebeater that leaves some of his Project Alloy scars exposed. Tom walks over to the refrigerator and grabs a beer. He opens the bottle up and takes a drink before walking back over to the couch and sitting down. He reaches over and grabs the first file. It's a file of average thickness that gives no indicators about what's inside. Tom takes another drink as he opens the file. After seeing Nadia Santos' photo staring back at him, he chokes on his beer a bit. After turning his head to cough, he looks back at the file. "Nadia! You're in APO?" Tom looks at her main personnel page and finds out that she has indeed joined APO. Tom smiles, but still looks a little dumbfounded. "How in the heck did you end up there?" Tom turns the page and starts reading up on Nadia's role in Rambaldi's scheme. Tom closes the file and tosses it to the left of him on the couch. He shakes his head, not believing what he read. "Nadia? What on earth, you're...in a prophecy?" Tom stands up and walks down the hallway, leaving the file lying on the couch.

Tom later emerges from the hallway wearing an old t-shirt and jean shorts now. He looks at Nadia's file sitting on the couch. He appears almost afraid to go back over there and open it up. Tom closes his eyes, sighs, and walks back over and sits down. Anxiously, he picks up the file and starts reading it again. He's now reading over the mission details from when she was rescued, only to be whisked away by her father, Arvin Sloane. He then flips a page and sees the vials of green Rambaldi fluid pictured. He flips over that picture to read about the torture that she was subjected to by her own father with the Rambaldi fluid: how he'd inject her with it against her will, how her body would spasm, and how it almost damaged her mentally. Tom's face contorts in anger. "That asshole, how could he..." Tom sets the file down again and just stares forward for a bit. "I think I just found someone I hate more than my own father..." Tom takes another drink of beer, then picks the file back up where he left off. He reads about how she went back to Argentina after that experience, but was recruited into APO after her sister needed her help. He them gets a look of shock on his face when he sees that Sloane actually runs APO. Tom throws down her file and starts looking into the rest of the personnel files until he gets to Sloane's. Tom looks at Sloane's picture for a while in anger. He finally just shakes his head and starts reading about his history. Tom shakes his head and starts to looks a little exasperated at what he's reading. "This...this piece of shit would be my BOSS?" Tom goes on to read about Sloane's deal with the government. Tom then throws Sloane's file on the table and grabs Jack Bristow's file. He flips up to the point where Jack starts at APO. He nods his head. "Ok, so Jack really runs the ship." Tom leans back with Jack's file in his hands.

After about four hours, he's read through every file. Tom leans forward and has his head in his hands. "No wonder the CIA doesn't want anyone to know about this place, what a freaking crew!" Tom then grabs Nadia's file and opens it again. Tom then shakes his head. "I knew you were special. I guess I just had no idea how special you really were." Tom closes his eyes. "And for your own father to do that to you..." Tom takes a deep breath and opens his eyes again and looks up at the ceiling. He looks back down at Nadia's picture. "You know, we both haven't had many reasons to smile lately. Maybe we can help each other…." His eyes then open like he just had a revelation. "That's it!" Tom looks down at the scars on his right arm. "What if…I was allowed to survive Project Alloy so I could repay that life debt? You protected me three and a half years ago….now, it's my turn to protect you! Yes! That's it! That's my purpose!" Tom, who's now beaming, looks at his watch and sees it's midnight. "Ooh, I better try getting some sleep. Jack's gonna be here in a few hours." Tom gets up and walks down the hallway to his bedroom.

**January 21, 2005**

Tom is sitting at the kitchen table, drinking coffee and staring off into space, still trying to process what he read last night. After a clock chimes that it's 6 o'clock, he hears a knock on the door. Tom smirks. "Well, at least I know he's on time." Tom walks over and grabs the files. He picks them up and walks over to the door and opens it to find Jack standing there. Tom says "Morning. You're here for the files?" Jack says "Can I come in?" Tom looks a bit surprised, then opens the door wider for Jack. "Sure...I wasn't sure if you wanted to." Tom opens the door wide for Jack to walk in. Tom sets the files down on the kitchen table and walks towards the kitchen. "Want any coffee?" Jack nods. "Sure, I'll take mine black." Tom nods his head and pours Jack a cup. "A man who likes his drink as much as his attitude...straight forward. I can appreciate that." Jack sits down at the table. "Then you didn't read my file last night." Tom laughs. "One could say that. But, I did study up on you. And I have to admit, I picked up some respect for you after reading it." Jack asks "Why?" Tom walks over to the table and gives Jack his coffee, then pours himself some more coffee into his cup. "Well, some people might look at your file, see who you associate yourself with, and think you're about as crooked as a southern Missouri backroad. I didn't see it that way." Jack takes a sip of his coffee and asks "What did you see?" Tom smirks. "A guy who knows that the means can get messy before you get to the ends. A guy who does some things that might make a normal man wonder about your allegiance. But, at no point did I get that impression. Your loyalty to the CIA, and to your family, is undeniable. Now, I'm nowhere near as good at head games as you, so I'm not going to compare yourself to me, but knowing how I do things and seeing how you do things, I have a lot of respect for you." Jack nods his head. "I see. Anything else jump out at you?" Tom laughs as he puts the coffee pot back in the coffee maker. "That's a loaded question." Jack sits back. "The question still stands." Tom looks over at Jack. "How does it feel working for a boss you absolutely loathe?" Jack plainly says "I hate it. But, I can take pleasure in knowing that Sloane has no choice but to help us. He doesn't want to lose his daughter." Tom's face looks angry now. "You think he gives two shits about Nadia after what he's done to her? Really?" Jack leans forward. "I expected this reaction from you. You feel that what she went through in her dealings with him was unjust." Tom shakes his head. "Unjust means that what happened to her wasn't fair. No. It goes beyond that. What Sloane did to her was downright disgusting. My father became a drunk early in my life and remained a non-factor until he died. But, this bloodsucking tick not only shows up in her life when she's a full-grown woman, but subjects her to a near-death experience? I hate that man more than life itself and I haven't even met him." Jack smiles. "You'll find that your feelings are shared by more than just me and you." Tom nods. "I read up on Sydney and what Sloane has done to her. Dixon too. Sloane's got enough infra-red lasers on the target on his back to keep him in check. I'll just be one more." Jack sits up a bit. "So, does this mean you're accepting my offer?" Tom turns and thinks for a bit. "Two things first." Jack shrugs. "What?" Tom says "If I join APO, I want to eventually earn my field-rating stripes again. You seem like you might have enough clout to get that done." Jack says "I'll have to know more about your condition..." Tom shakes his head. "I can't." Jack snaps back "You can't or you won't?" Tom replies "Both. But, hopefully after being out in the field, my performance would do the talking." Jack thinks for a bit, then nods his head. "I can see myself considering that down the road. What was the other thing?" Tom looks down. "I have two friends that are CIA freelancers. They're two of my best friends and they're good at what they do. I would like to be able to have them available to help me whenever necessary. I know APO is supposed to be secretive, but I assure you these men are loyal to me as I am to them and would not say a peep about APO to anyone." Jack thinks a bit, then nods. "I'll have to have the final say on what missions they'd be used on, but I guess that's ok." Tom smiles and says "Thanks." He then looks down at the ground. "They're all I have left in this world." Jack holds up a hand. "Stop." Tom looks up at Jack. Jack continues. "You were talking about tells and poker faces yesterday. Well, you gave me a giant tell at the end of our conversation too." Tom leans on the counter and folds his arms. "My final comment?" Jack says "We both have done things and seen things that we both regret. But, unlike you, I don't wear that regret on me every day. I don't know what happened to the people in the six graves you visit..." Tom's eyes open wide. "Did you follow me yesterday afternoon to Baltimore National Cemetery?" Jack shakes his head. "That's not the point. But, after putting the pieces together, I do have my suspicions about what happened. It's one thing to never forget your friends you've loved and lost in the field. But it's another to walk around everyday weighed down by that memory." Tom looks down, but doesn't say anything. Jack says "I need to know that you can come to work for us with your head held high and using the tools that got you this far. That includes your instincts in the field that you apparently feel so ashamed about." Tom thinks for a bit, then nods. "You're right." He then walks over to Jack with his hand extended. "You got me." Jack stands up and shakes his hand. "Good." Jack reaches into his pocket and hands Tom a keycard. "This will get you into APO. I'll leave you the protocols to get into the building at your desk before you leave work. Today is your last day at Langley." Tom nods his head, then smiles a bit. "Thank you for giving me this chance to prove myself again." Jack gives him a small smile. "Thanks for accepting my offer. Welcome to APO." Jack grabs the personnel files and walks out. Tom just remains standing at the table, digesting what's to come in the future.

_**Baltimore, MD- Outside a home**_

Tom knocks on the front door of a typical suburban two-story home. We see that his goatee is now missing. Tom stands and waits as he hears footsteps run down the steps. Lisa, David's wife, opens the door. "Tom!" Tom smiles as the two hug. "How are you, Lisa?" Lisa releases the hug. "Good! What brings you to our humble abode today?" Tom looks inside the house. "Your husband around?" Lisa nods. "He's taking a nap, but he really should be waking up, come on in!" Tom walks in and up the stairs behind Lisa. We hear Lisa in a bedroom say "Wake up! Tom's here!" At the top of the steps, Tom looks right and sees an 18 month old Susan chasing a cat. Tom just smirks and shakes his head in amusement as he hears footsteps from his left. Lisa, as she's walking towards Tom down the hallway, says "David will be out in a bit. Can I get you something to drink?" Tom nods. "A Coke would be fine if you have one." Lisa walks into the kitchen and grabs one from the fridge and tosses it at Tom, which surprises him a bit. Lisa laughs. "Just seeing if you still have your reflexes!" Tom smirks at Lisa. "That's right, you're one of the few people that know I led an ultra-secret CIA tactical team. Speaking of keeping your abilities fresh, how's your computer consulting gig going?" Lisa nods as she sits at the kitchen table. "Good! Just got done with getting a Fortune 500 company back on track. You won't believe the dolts that work in I.T. nowadays!" Tom asks "What company?" Lisa smirks and sits back. "That's classified." Tom laughs at that, and then looks around. "I take it Davie is at preschool?" Lisa smiles and says "Yeah." Tom smiles back. "How is the little guy doing?" Kate nods. "Good. I can tell already he's already going to be a brainiac like daddy." From the hallway, we hear someone say "I head that!" Lisa grins as a somewhat groggy David turns the corner into the kitchen. "Hey Tom...whoa!" Tom looks confused. "What?" David says "Something looks different about you." Tom brushes his chin. "Shaved off the goatee. I wanted a change." David nods in amusement as we hear Lisa say "I KNEW something was different when I opened the front door! Looks good!" Tom looks at Lisa. "Thanks!" Tom looks back at David. "Anyway, is Mike stateside? I need to talk to him." David shakes his head. "They sent Mike to India for something today, someone they want him to track." Tom looks down. "Damn, I wanted to see him before I left." David looks surprised at that last word. "Leave for where?" Tom sighs a bit and looks back up at David. "I'm getting another chance at a top-secret CIA division." David asks "Where?" Tom shakes his head. "I can't say anything about it, but I can say that the subject matter will be very familiar to what I did in Dark Cover." David thinks for a bit. "The Covenant?" Tom shakes his head. "Not exactly, but related." David asks "When are you leaving?" Tom says "Today. After I leave here, I'll stop by the cemetery and say my goodbyes to my friends and go." David asks "What will you be doing in this new gig?" Tom smiles. "I'll be back out in the field...sort of. Support duty, plus heavy intel collecting. I'll actually get to breathe fresh air on the job again." David smiles and pats Tom on the shoulder. "That's good, congrats! They're giving you a second chance!" Tom digests that comment for a bit. "Yeah, I guess I am getting a second chance. Good way of looking at it." Tom and David stare at the floor for a bit. Tom then says "Anyway, I just wanted to let you know that, if I'm sent on a mission and I need an extra hand, I'll ask for you and Mike. Our division is secretive, but my director gave you guys an OK, as long as he has final say." David grins. "I appreciate it." Tom reaches out his hand. David shakes it, then they give each other a pound hug, just like they did at the end of Chapter 2. David says "Strength and honor." Tom grins and says "Strength and honor, always." Tom releases the pound hug. "I'll keep in touch." Tom walks over to the stairs, but stops at the top of the stairway and looks into the living room to see Lisa chasing Susan around. "Hey Lisa..." Lisa looks up. "I heard! Good luck!" Tom smiles. "Thanks. Anyway, you take care of this man now." Lisa looks at David and smiles. "I would if he'd LET me!" Tom laughs as he walks down the steps and walks out the front door.

_**Baltimore, MD- Baltimore National Cemetery**_

We see Tom walking up to the graves of the six members of Storm Crew that died in Torino. He's got six separate bouquets of flowers for them. He kneels down at each one, takes out the old flowers that were propped up on their graves and tosses them in a trash bin behind him. Then, Tom sets a bouquet down at each grave. Tom pulls out a towel and starts wiping down Chris Cooper's grave. "Every day since I came back from the Torino mission alive, I've come down here and wiped down your graves. Every week, I have given you all a fresh set of flowers." Tom starts to tear up as he moves on to wipe down Eddie Alvarez's grave. "Well, today, I'm giving you my last bouquet of flowers. I'm leaving because I've been given a second chance in the CIA. But, I have to go back to Los Angeles to do it." Tom starts to openly weep. "That means I finally have to say goodbye to you guys." Tom lays his head down on his right arm, which is propped up on Eddie's grave, and continues sobbing. "It's been a year and a half, but this day has finally come. I don't want to abandon you guys..." Off to his right, Tom hears someone say "But you have to." Tom looks right and sees James Lennox standing there. Tom quickly wipes his tears away. "James? What are you doing here?" James says "I heard you might be here." Tom stands up. "The only person who knew I was going to be here was David." James smiles. "As usual, nothing gets by you." Tom lets out a faint smile. "I'm sorry you had to see me like this." James nods. "It's ok. I understand." Tom looks down and laughs a bit. "You know, it's ironic that David would tell you that I was here. I remember you wanted to turn him down for the op-tech job." James laughs. "Well, I'm glad to say that my initial judgment on him was wrong. I hear he's been doing more field work as a freelancer with Mike." Tom nods. "Yeah, that's what he tells me." After a bit of silence, James asks "I think I might know where you're going." Tom shrugs. "How? This place is supposed to be top secret." James smirks. "I have an old CIA colleague that I still keep up with. Sydney Bristow tells me her division has an opening." Tom nods his head. "And once again, nothing gets by YOU!" James laughs a bit. "I knew it! I think you'll love it there. Sydney is an amazing agent. She helped me during the fallout from Project Helix." Tom nods his head. "So, it all comes out in the end about Project Helix." James shrugs. "Figured I owed you that much!" Tom laughs, then looks down. "This is the first time I've been at this cemetery and laughed." James nods his head and looks down. "You know, I respect that you've stayed around to make sure your teammate's graves have been taken care of, but from one friend to another, you have to move on. After Emma died, I let her death consume me for a good year. But, eventually, you just have to let go." Tom looks up and asks "What happened to you after you let go of Emma?" James walks up to Tom and pats him on the shoulder. "It felt like a giant gorilla that I had been carrying around for about a year jumped off my back." Tom looks down. "I still feel this sense of responsibility with them." James nods, then says "You've taken care of them for as long as you can. But if I were Chris, Eddie, Luke, Charlie, Jacob, or Jerome, I encourage you to move on. It's ok to honor their memory, but dammit, honor it! Don't let it drag you down." Tom looks up and smiles. "Thank you." James extends his hand. "Anyway, I wanted to come by and wish you good luck. Tom shakes his hand. James says "Oh, and tell Sydney I said hi!" Tom laughs as they let go of the handshake. James then cocks his head a bit, a little surprised. "I knew something was different about you...you shaved your goatee!" Tom smiles. "New start, new face." James laughs. Tom says "Thank you, James. For everything." James nods his head and starts walking back to his car. Tom turns to the graves of Chris, Eddie, Charlie, Luke, Jacob, and Jerome. He smiles and says "Strength and honor...always." He looks at their graves for a few seconds, then finally walks away.

_**Los Angeles- APO**_

Nadia stops Jack as he's walking by. She asks Jack "Have you filled the open position yet? Is Tom the guy?" Jack shakes his head. "I can't discuss personnel matters." He's approached by a man in a suit. "He's on the subway. He should be here in a bit." The man walks away. Nadia asks "Who?" Jack deadpans "The new hire." Jack walks away, leaving Nadia to wonder.

(_Note: After Jack is informed "he's on the subway", start playing The Verve's "Bittersweet Symphony")_

We catch up to Tom sitting on a subway seat with an average-sized banker's box on his lap. He's looking forward while thinking back to various points of his life:

Various scenes of his childhood, playing with Eddie

Getting married to his first wife Kate

The meeting with Eduardo Munoz

Chatting with Chris and Mike at the Anti-Cartel

The first time he saw Dark Cover

Meeting David Marston

The Conquistadores mission and Nadia

The death of his brother

Giving Mitch a loaded gun and turning his back on him, daring Mitch to shoot him

The failed Cordoba, Spain mission where Tom learns Mitch is a rat

His thoughts are interrupted by the subway stopping. Tom stands up and walks out of the subway. He looks right at first, and then starts to walk left. He walks through a metal gate and stops at the first door on the right down a set of small stairs. Using his keycard, he swipes it through the card reader. He opens the door and walks in.

Meanwhile, inside APO, we see Nadia sitting at her desk anxious. She's distracted by a phone call, which she answers.

We catch back up with Tom, who is examining the various switches and levers in the room. He walks over to a lever on the right and pulls it up. After he hears some clicking, he walks over to the left side of the room and pulls down on a lever. Then, he opens up a panel and presses up on the 1st, 3rd, 5th, and 6th breakers. The door in front of him opens. Tom walks back over to his box, picks it up, and walks in.

As he's walking down the entry hallway, we see Tom recollect other points of his life up to this point.

The Torino mission

Seeing his skin folded open like a book during his Project Alloy surgery

His escape from the Covenant

Breaking up with Kate

Seeing the graves of his fallen teammates for the first time

Struggling to walk and run again

Escaping from the Covenant again

Dark Cover getting shut down

The first time he saw Jack

His reactions to reading Nadia's file

Tom turns the corner to the left and gets his first view off the office he'll be working in. He looks around and sees who's working where. Then, he starts to really look for something. He walks down a row and looks down and sees the back of Nadia's head a few desks down to the right as she's on the phone. Tom smiles as he starts to meander down the hall. He stops next to Nadia and looks at her for a second, but discovers she's paying close attention to her phone call. He notices that there's an empty desk off to the front and right of Nadia's. Tom smirks and walks over to the desk and sets his box on the desk. Just as he does, Jack walks up to him. "You're needed in the conference room." Tom nods his head and looks down at his box and shifts his box so that his name on the side of the box is visible to Nadia. All this time, Tom makes it a point to keep his back turned to her...just like she did to him at first when they first met in Argentina. Tom walks off with Jack into the conference room. Nadia hangs up the phone and looks over at Tom's box and immediately sees "Tom Falk" written on the side. Nadia looks up to see Tom shaking Sloane's hand in the conference room. Nadia's face lights up and she gets up from her desk to walk in. Tom looks over at the entrance to the conference room and sees Nadia walking quickly in his direction. He starts walking towards her. Finally, they embrace for the first time in three and a half years. This causes Sloane to raise an eyebrow, which tells us he wasn't told about their past relationship. As they're hugging, Nadia says "I knew we'd work together again!" Tom smiles and says "I missed you so much. I'm here to pay off that life debt. I'm here for you." We end this chapter, and series, with them embraced in a hug.

**THE END (and beginning of Season 4, Episode 5 of Project Nadia)**

**Thanks to everyone that read this story. I can officially say that this closes the book on the Tom Falk chronicles. Even though this story won't likely go down in the FanFiction annals of history as a great work (judging by the trickle of reviews up to this point), writing this story and Project Nadia over the past two months has made me fall in love with writing again. On a personal note, I enjoyed writing Eye of the Storm more than Project Nadia because I wasn't so 'limited' by episodic constraints. As I 'freed' my writing in Season 5 of Project Nadia, I got the idea to write the prequel. Project Nadia was more about giving Nadia justice while this was just a fun project.**

**As an author, I do feel a bit like Tom Falk after he had to say goodbye to his fallen friends to go to APO. I really grew attached to his character and the whole storyline in general over the past couple of months, and it does hurt that I've done all I can with Tom's story and there's no more writing left for me to do as it pertains to Falk's tale (as it relates to the Alias world). Hopefully you have gotten some enjoyment out of it. If I entertained just one of you, then I can happily say I did my job.**

**So, even if you liked this story or thought it flat out sucked, please review! Feels weird to have a 100,000+ word story on FanFiction with just one reviewer!**


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